Behind
the Scenes
at Coleco
and Atari ,
ALL KEYED UP a
The Computerization
of Video Games— A
GEREPOR
K48964
JUNE 1983
US $2.95
Canada
$3.25
'J:
'71896"48964
THE BEST G/
JUST GO!
When you own ColecoVision, you own a powerful computer.
A computer that creates graphics more advanced than any other video
game system.
And all the new game modules you see here are just the beginning.
Soon, there'll be an astonishing breakthrough that will allow
ColecoVision to operate as a multi-functional home computer.
Which means the ColecoVision you own today, is the system of to-
morrow.
The Super
Action" Controllers*
Grasp the most precise con-
troller ever built.
Feel the arcade quality joy-
stick and built-in speed roller.
Use the multiple player select
buttons to move as many as four
different players at once.
Plot elaborate sports games
strategies in advance. On a twelve
button keypad.
The Super Action™ controller
set comes with Super Action Base-
ball as a bonus. And will be avail-
able this June.
The Super Game Nodule.*
Boost the memory of your
ColecoVision to equal the memory
of most coin operated arcade games.
Achieve over 15 times the
memory of an Atari 2600® VCS™ car-
tridge.
Unleash astounding graphic
resolution and game variations that
surpass even the real arcade.
The Super Game Module can
produce over 100 different screens,
when required. It displays bonuses.
Intermissions. Even lets you enter
and store your initials in the "Hall of
fame'.' The Super Game Module will
be available this August.
And it comes with two bonus
Super Games: Buck Rogers™ Planet
of Zoom"" and Gorf?
TURBO,'" SPACE P JRY, '" OfSTRUCTION DERBY *" PLANE T Of ZOOM. " SUBROC" AND SEGA'" ARE
TRADEMARKS Of SEGA ENTERPRISES INC ©1980 ©1982 PEPPER II" IS A TRADEMARK OP EXIUY INC
©1982 MR DO'". SPACE PANIC" COSMIC AVENGER" ARE TRADEMARKS Of UNIVERSAL CO LTD ©1981
©198? DONKEY KCNG JUNIOR" AND MARIO" ARE
TRADEMARKS OP NINTENDO Of AMERICA INC ©198?
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The
Expansion
Nodule.
The Driving Module.
Take the wheel of a
high performance race car.
Step down on the accelera-
tor. Slam shift.
Steer through tunnels.
Around curves. Over oil
slicks. The Driving Module is
available now with Turbo,"*
the hit arcade game, as a
bonus.
And Destruction Der-
Play more games on Coleco- by™ and many others are
Vision than on any other system. coming soon.
Play any cartridge made for the
Atari 2600® VCS " by Atari, Acti-
vision,'" Imagic,™ Sears Video Ar-
cade™ and more. The expansion
module is available now. So, now
choose almost any game made, and
play it on the best system ever made.
ColecoVision.
The Roller Controller.*
Quick. Responsive. The Roller Controller is a whole new way to play most
joystick controlled ColecoVision games.
It gives you a 360 degree field of movement. Lets you fire up or down. And
the faster you spin the ball, the faster your on-screen object reacts.
The Roller Controller is coming this July. And, as a bonus, it comes with
Slither,™ the lightning fast arcade game.
<Ss**J*
Dazzling
New Games.
Arcade games. Sports
games. Adventure games. And
more. Games like Donkey Kong
Junior.'" Space Panic.™ Looping."
Pepper II.™ and Space Pury.™ All
available now.
Qames like Destruction Der-
by™ and Super Action Football
coming in June. Rocky, " SubRoc,™
Mr. Dol™ coming in July. And Time
Pilot™ in August.
ColecoVision is the first truly
expandable video game/home
computer system. And today isjust
the beginning. Because Coleco-
Vision is the system of tomorrow.
IS A TRADEMARK Of BAt.LV MIDWAY. MFG CO. ©1981 ROCKY " IS A TRADEMARK Of UNITED ARTISTS CORP ©1983 SLITHER'" IS A TRADEMARK Of CENTURYII ©1981 BUCK ROGERS"" IS A TRADEMARK Of THE DILIE FAMIIY TRUST
• .118? TIME PILOT"- IS A TRADEMARK Of KONAMI INDUSTRY CO LTD ATARI* AMOVCS'" ARE TRADEMARKS Of ATARI. INC. SEARS VIDEO ARCADE'" IS THE TRADEMARK Of SEARS ROEBUCK MID CO ACTIVISION'" IS THE TRADEMARK Of
1 1 INC IMAGIC'" IS A TRADEMARK Of IMAGIC ©COlECO INDUSTRIES 1983, 945 ASYLUM AVENUE HARTfORO. CT 06105
page 72
page 30
page 34
Volume 1, Number 9 June 1983
FEATURES
VIDEOGAMES Interview: Arnold C. Greenberg 22
As far as video games are concerned, the best is yet to come, according to the president of
Coleco. By Roy Trakin.
Sights to Behold in the Video World 30
When George Opperman sees a blip on a screen several million images flash through his head.
But only a few of these will grace the Atari coin-op cabinets, posters and advertisements seen
throughout the country. Mark Osmun steals some time out of Opperman's hectic schedule.
The Computerization of Video Games 34
Turning your home game system into a computer is a snap. Literally. Anne Krueger, Suzan
Prince and Mark Brownstein report on what's in store for owners of Intellivision, Odyssey,
Astrocade, Coleco, and Atari game systems.
SPECIAL SECTION:
Video Sports Games Illustrated, Part 2 55
Take out the gloves, line up those pins! Noah Greenberg reviews the hockey, bowling, basket-
ball, golf, tennis, boxing and skiing carts for video games sportsmen.
DEPARTMENTS
DOUBLE SPEAK 8
Some words of advice from our readers.
HYPERSPACE 6
Insights into the issue at hand.
BLIPS 10
Three ring video games, more fun with Journey, staying in style in the arcades. Atari surveys
the coin-op scene, Pac-Man— on the road and in the drugstores.
HARDSELL 52
Mark Andrews delivers a programmer's perspective of Commodore's VIC-20.
SOFTSPOT 61
From simple to sublime, the latest offering of home carts has something for everyone. Perry
Greenberg reviews Venture, Smurf Rescue, Bomb Squad. Gopher, Space Spartans,
Centipede, Turmoil and Nexar.
COIN-OPSHOP 66
The latest batch of arcade games indicate a return to strong game-play and continued improve-
ment of graphics, new challenges and bizarre themes. John Holmstrom reviews Xevious, Star
Trek, Bagman, Bump 'n' Jump, and Quantum .
FLIPSIDE 72
Q'bert's taken his cast of zany characters and taken them over to pinball. In the first install-
ment of this new column, Zelmo tells all about Gottlieb's latest.
YOUTHBEAT 74
Having a home video game party can be both fun and profitable. Rawson Stovall gives hints
on how to throw one without irritating mom.
BULL'S-EYE 75
Milton Bradley's back in the Wall Street eye, reports David Leibowitz.
BOOK BEAT 76
Stephen Manes' book Video Wars sheds modern light on the age-old conflict between teens
and adults. Reviewed by Anne Krueger.
COMICRELIEF 79
The saga continues! Chapter six of Matt Howarlh and Lou Stathis' "The Zydroid Legion;"
Gene Williams' "Raiders of the Lost Arcade, and Peter Bagge's "The Video Kid."
STATS 82
Cover illustration by Michael Waldman
IF YOU OWN A COMMODORE COMPUTER,
YOU KNOW IT CAN DO ALL THIS.
i
33*H
BUSINESS
EDUCATION
PROGRAMMING
7 i * : = i E
Lij : tt ;•' _ .
GAMES
BUT DID YOU KNOW FOR ABOUT $100,
YOU CAN ALSO GET IT TO DO ALLTHIS?
rs
GAMES
TRAVEL
INFORMATION
COMMODORE
INFO. NETWORK
EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITIES
The screens at the top of the
page show a few examples of
how versatile the VIC 20 TW or
Commodore 64'" can be with the
addition of Commodore software.
The screens below them give
you a few examples of how much
more versatile they can be with
the addition of a Commodore
VICMODEM.
For around $100, the
i Commodore VICMODEM
will turn your VIC 20 or
Commodore 64 computer
into a telecomputer.
To make matters even better,
Commodore includes a few little
extras (such as a free hour's time
on the two most popular telecom-
puting services) that add up to a
value of $197.50* A nice return on
USA -POBox500.Consnoriock.en. PA 1M28. Canada 3370Pharn-«cy Avenue Agmcourt Ontario. CanadaMlTOM •Ce't3inoll6tS5ut>|ecttocnange
Co™r*,Ser*e a a trademark ol CompuServe Inc andH&R Block Co Dow Jone*News<Retriev»l Servicers a registered trademark ol
Dow Jones & Co Inc Tne Source is a serv.ee mark ol Source Telecomputing Corporation » sutwdn'V ol Headers Digest Corporation. Inc
an investment of about $100.
Most computer companies
think it's reasonable to ask as
much as $500 for a modem that'll
give you telecomputing capabili-
ties such as ours.
However, with a VICMODEM
priced at around $100. we think
we're being a lot more reason-
able. Don'tyou agree?
ft commodore
*" COMPUTER
It used to be so simple back in the good old days of 1982. There were person-
al computers for the other folks with keyboards, peripherals and a host of
foreign languages. While we could be content with our video game systems,
our only concern was to keep up with the new titles and maybe the contempla-
tion of picking up a replacement stick or two. But times have changed.
For most of us, recent as well as upcoming developments probably aren't
that much of a surprise. After all, the warning signs have been blatently ap-
parent that a new era would begin. The only issue is when and how, given the
fact that many home computers are being positioned as game systems, plus a
whole lot more. Meanwhile, the programmable videogame units, which have
prevailed for a number of years, were finally being modified and upgraded in
anticipation of the time when they might want to offer expanded capabilities.
We witnessed the release of second and third-generations systems that seemed
to be limitless in their ability to do more than just play games. Add-on
modules alone proved that almost anything could be hooked into a unit that
would expand its operating capacity and potentially change its role in our
day-to-day lives.
And now here we are at the brink of a new beginning for what has become a
legendary standard: the home video game system. Interestingly the events
that have gotten us to this point trace their origins back a little more than a
decade ago when the first models were introduced. In retrospect the evolution
has been a remarkable one, considering that an entire society has so readily
embraced a totally new technology, almost without question or doubt.
The funny thing is that video games, arcade and home variety, really paved
the way for the growth of personal computers and the increasing overlap that
rapidly followed. Since 1983 is shaping up to be a year of notable
achievements in terms of hardware development, VIDEO GAMES wanted
to keep you right on top of the events as they happen.
To bring you all the inside information, we have assembled a group of
knowledgeable, curious and intrepid writers to search out all the facts regard-
ing the major home game systems. Beginning on page 34 you get a first-hand
look at how keyboards will be infiltrating the ranks to bring previously con-
sidered impossible operating power to everything from Atari's VCS to Mat-
tel's Intellivision, ColecoVision and even the Astrocade.
But there's still more to be found in this month's features such as a behind-
the-scene visit with a man responsible for much of the outstanding artwork
coming out of the Sunnyvale, California headquarters of Atari. Back East
there's an interview with the guiding force of Coleco, Arnold Greenberg, who
gives an account of just how they have done what they have, and what's still to
come. It's an enlightening perspective on a true American success story that
begins on page 22.
Also in this issue of VIDEO GAMES are the first appearances of two
regular columns we hope you find interesting and enjoyable to read. Youth
Beat, page 74 features the advice and suggestions of Rawson Stovall on how
to throw a video game party at home. Stovall, of Abilene, Tx . , is the author of
a syndicated newspaper column called "The Video Beat."
"The Flip Side" appears on page 72 and expands KG's already extensive
coverage of the coin-op industry to include the efforts being undertaken
above and beyond pure video games, whether it's the design of a new pinball
machine, a model that might incorporate both categories of play, or one
which provides a format so different, it can't be ignored for what it may
represent as a possible addition to the standard game room bill of fare.
And there's still more, including reviews in the newest arcade games,
home carts and the second part of Video Sports Games Illustrated.
—Editor
Publisher
Cheh N. Low
Editor
Roger C. Sharpe
Managing Editor
Sue Adamo
Associate Editor
Perry Greenberg
Copy Editor
Linda Moran
Contributing Editors
Mark Andrews
Nicholas Crawford
John Holmstrom
Editorial Assistants
Michael Fine
Melinda Glass
Art Director
Bob Sefcik
Art Associate
Barbara Taff
Advertising Director
Jason Boda
Advertising Manager
Bob Gardener
West Coast Advertising Manager
Bruce E. Thomsen
Tel: (714) 481-8442
Circulation Consultant
John F. Hayes
Assistant to the Publisher
Jan Mittelmark
Contributors
Armando Bacz, Peter Bagge, Mark Brownstein.
Noah Greenberg, Matt Howarth, Anne Krueger,
David Leibowitz, Lionel Martinez. Mark Osmun,
Suzan Prince. Susan Shay, Lou Stathis,
Rawson Stovall, Roy Trakin, Dana Ventura,
Michael Waldman, Gene Williams, Zelmo
VIDEO GAMES is published monthly by
PUMPKIN PRESS Inc., 350 Fifth Avenue,
Suite 6204, New York, N.Y. 10118. Under
Universal International and Pan American
Copyright Conventions. Reproductions of
editorial or pictorial content in any manner is
prohibited. No responsibility will be accepted
for unsolicited material. All such material must
be accompanied by sufficient first class postage.
Single copy price $2.95, Subscription rate
$30.00 for one year (12 issues), Canada and
Foreign are $45.00. Application to mail at
second class postage rate is pending at New
York, N.Y. and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster: send address changes to Pumpkin
Press, Inc., 350 Fifth Ave., Suite 6204, New
York, N.Y. 10118.
6 VIDEO GAMES
INA SYNDROME":
PERIENCE A
ELT-DOWN!
■:.
Overheated reaaor! Devastating particles! Damaged rJOfeT And the unthinkable- meltdown!
It has all the makings of a catastrophe . . . and one of the most exciting new video games ever.
For years, the nuclear power plant at Spectra Wand has provided safe energy Now. an
earthquake has changed all that. The lives in Spectraville are now in your hands Dangerous par-
ticles must be contained. The Decontamination Diffusion Vacuum must be moved quickly. It's
challenging, and at times, frustrating. But it must be done to prevent a major disaster
Like all games from Spectravision rM . China Syndrome™ is incredibly lifelike. With more
realistic sound effects. More colorful graphics. More action and challenge Varied skill levels Even
an introductory demonstration of the game. So try new China Syndrome™ soon You'll agree that
there's only one word for it's realism — unreal
VIDEO SAME CARTRIDGE
ChlNA
SyNdnoME
FORM AWT
ANO «ASS V1WO
SAM SWIMS
TM
Specfrovlslon Video Games
fit me Atari™ VCS System and
Sears Video Arcade™
39 W. 37th Street. New York. NY. 10018
) 1982 SPECTRA VTDfcO. INC
• Atari VCS™ Is a registered trademark of ATARI. Inc. ' Sears video Arcade Is a trademark of Sears Roebuck & Co.
A Small Price to Pay
There is something I'm really mad
about. You see video game manufactur-
ers won't even consider ideas from out-
side their companies, especially from
kids? I think they're making a big mis-
take. Who better to get ideas from than
the kids. Most people who play video
games are under 18, and since they play
the games, they'd be able to know what
they want to see in a game. I think that
arcade companies should consider game
ideas from the outside. Then, if they were
interested, pay the person who sent the
idea maybe $10.00 to draw up a sketch
of what the game actually looks like.
Who knows, this small price just could
make a game idea of an unknown person
into a big arcade hit for the company.
Stephen Hilton
Altoona, Pa.
Although the idea is a sound one, and
many companies are opening up their
doors to outside designers, you 're selling
yourself short. You may want $10 to
start with, but what about royalties and
options on your next titles? Seriously,
VG will be taking a closer look at the
creation and evolution of games in a
future issue. So keep a look out for
it.— Ed.
ColecoVisioned
Thanks for the Dec. issue. I now have all
your issues. I enjoyed the article on the
Consumer Show in the April issue.
I was especially interested in the sneak
peeks at the new products for the Co-
leco Vision system. Seeing the graphics
of boxing and baseball shows how drab
Intellivision is. George Plimpton will
have to eat his words now. I dare him to
compare Intellivision's baseball with
ColecoVision's.
I like the Expansion Module #1. It
allows me to play my 140 Atari VCS cart-
ridges on ColecoVision. I am planning
to get the rest of the cartridges for the
Atari system. Then I'll have 200 cart-
ridges to use on the module.
The two things I am still waiting for
are the super game module that expands
memory to 128 K ROM and the key-
board that allows you to program your
own games plus personal computing.
Keep me informed on the latest news
from ColecoVision.
Larry McKinney
Adamstown, Pa.
For the Record
I found your April issue to be, as usual,
outstanding. Your article on the Las
Vegas CES convention was above par
compared to the competition's coverage
of this event. The photos were incredi-
ble, especially the ColecoVision pic-
tures. How about some more coverage
on "the best" system on the market in
future issues?
As I read through the magazine I
found your article on Jim Levy in-
teresting, the video game quiz fun, and
the story of how Q*bert and Joust came
into existence to be great reading. (I real-
ly like the innovation of 'mucas bombs'!)
And just to set the record straight, the
movie that is employed in Astron Belt
(p. 17) is not from an epic called Astron
Belt, but a rather bland Japanese effort
entitled: "Message From Space" (made
in 1978 for the Toei Studios of Japan,
starring Sonny Chiba and the late Vic
Morrow). The movie was a rip-off to try
and imitate the Star Wars adventure,
and was later turned into a weekly TV
show in Japan where it was eventually
cancelled.
Steve Harris
Gladstone, Mo.
News for the Confused
I bought your April edition of VIDEO
GAMES and I have a question about
your CES section. It's about the Spec-
travideo's SV-318 home computer for
the ColecoVision Expansion Module #3.
On page 44, under the photo, it says that
it has a 32 K RAM memory and costs
$70.00. Then I read in the February edi-
tion of Electronic Fun with Computers
& Games magazine that Spectravision's
new computer will cost under $300 and
has a 32 K RAM memory expandable to
144K RAM memory. My question is, is
this the same home computer or a dif-
ferent one and what is the difference?
Dan Young
Black Hawk, S.D.
To clear up the confusion concerning the
SV-318 and ColecoVision expander
module, the connection is Spectravideo
and ColecoVision share a common
graphics chip. Therefore, Coleco
relatively easily built an expansion
module that would allow their game
cartridges to be played on the SV-318,
and Spectravideo, as well, made an adap-
tor to the ColecoVision, the SV-603.
Both units retail for about $70. 00. —Ed.
Show and Tell
In the April issue of VIDEO GAMES,
there was an article about the Consumer
Electronics Show. 1 was wondering
when and where the next show will take
place.
Chris Parker
Austin, Tx.
The next CES will be staged in Chicago
from June 5th through June 8th, but
unless you 're a member of the industry,
don 't make travel plans since the con-
vention isn't open to the public. — Ed.
8 VIDEOGAMES
Exclusive built-in screen for real
arcade play- No TV set needed!
A revolutionary breakthrough! Only
Vectrex delivers fantastic real arcade
sights, sounds and challenge. Unlike
Atari and Intellivision . Vectrex has a real
arcade screen and sound system built in!
NoTV set needed! Real arcade controls
too: a 360° self-centering joystick and
four action buttons put power-packed
fun at your fingertips!
An arcade full of favorites!
The fast- paced fun of Mine Storrrfis built
into the Vectrex console. Andior more
new Vectrex games like Clean Sweep,"
HyperChase." Cosmic Chasm"and many
many more. With still more on the way!
Convince yourself!
Compare the Vectrex Arcade System
with any ordinary home video game
system . You'll discover why most Atari
and Intellivision players say Vectrex
plays more like real arcade games than
their own systems!
real arcade variety, plug in Vectrex car-
tridges like Berzerk," ' Scramble 1 , Rip Off'
and Armor Attack. 5 Or choose exciting
rcade
Brings Real Arcade Play Horn*
amaM 'imnMci
I
IBUPi
Step Into the Ring
Attention all video
gamers: the world's
largest arcade and video cir-
cus will be traveling your way
very soon. The 40-city tour,
sponsored by Meeting Plan-
ners, Inc. of Boston, Mass.,
kicks off in Boston on June 3
and will move from town to
town around the U.S.
through June 1984 when the
circus returns to its home
port. The Barnum and
Bailey-like extravaganza will
bring the latest in video enter-
tainment, allowing manufac-
turers the opportunity to in-
troduce the newest games,
and the public hands-on
evaluation.
The exposition will be
divided into three events: the
World's Largest Arcade, the
Video Circus and the
Superstar Pro Tour.
Now for a glimpse of
what's to come. The arcade
will display 1200 to 2000 coin-
op video machines (the
number of machines will de-
pend on the size of each city's
convention center). The
machines will be set on free-
play, but playing time will be
limited to 10 minutes per turn
to allow for the maximum
number of participants.
The video circus will
feature a traditional circus-
like atmosphere with a three-
ring video show. One ring will
spotlight the rock band Video
Experience, who will perform
against the high-tech am-
bience of the arcade. A se-
cond ring will feature the an-
tics of favorite video games
characters, such as Pac-Man
and Donkey Kong. And the
third ring will present the
Chimpanzee/ Pac-Man Chal-
enge, where chimps specially
trained in the game will take
on human opponents.
In the third event, the
Superstar Pro Tour, players
will have an opportunity to
challenge 30 superstar players
(three for each of 10 popular
arcade games). These super-
stars will travel with the ex-
position throughout the year
and compete for cash prizes
during the tour. Any players
from the cities that the show
travels to may challenge these
top players in an attempt to
capture their title.
Also featured in this event
will be the Twin Galaxies Ar-
cade International Score-
board. Walter Day Jr., owner
of the Twin Galaxies Arcade,
Ottumwa, Iowa, will act as
grandmaster and consultant
of the Video Circus. Players
will be able to see how their
scores rank internationally on
Day's computerized system.
Players and their scores will
be listed in the Guiness Book
of World Records for events
held in all cities prior to the
book's cut-off date of August
1, 1983.
The hours of the three-day,
three-event show will be from
10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday,
Saturday and Sunday. No
school-age children will be
admitted on Friday before
3 p.m. without a parent or
guardian while school is in
session. A combination three-
event ticket can be purchased
at the door.
Following is a listing of the
cities that will host the tour.
1983
City
Place
June 3, 4 and 5
Boston
Bayside Expo
Center
June 10, 11 and 12
Washington
Wash. Convention
Center
June 17, 18 and 19
Philadelphia
Philadelphia Civic
Center
June 24, 25 and 26
Atlantic City
Atlantic City Aud.
& Conv. Hall
10 VIDEOGAMES
C 1963 Alan loc An nghis reserved Trademark ol Bally Midway Mfg Co licensed by Namco- America Inc ' Tiadema/K o« Sears Roefcuc* and Co
%i
^ X,
\. X
X
u
\ x
v%
Which player is about
to score with flying color s?
Better learn fast. Here comes GalaxLan from Atari.
Pilot to co-pilot. Galaxian invaders are
approaching your home. And they're only
from Atari for use with the ATARI® 2600,
Sears Video Arcade t systems, and the
ATARI 5200" SuperSystem.
These Galaxians look, sound, and act no
different than the Galaxians you've battled
in the arcade. They swoop, dodge, and fire
with equal cunning. So you have to know
your stuff.
ATARI
,RI
GALAXIAN
r~ 1. 1
^
Like the player on the left. He's about to
hit a flying yellow Flagship for 150 points.
But his opponent, on the right,
will score only 30 points for hit-
ting the stationary blue
Drone. Tough luck, rookie.
If you want to know even
more about which Galaxians A TT A O I
to hit. hit the stores for r\l/\lYl
LralaXian. A Watnw Communications Com pun; y
or 150 points
A.
MIPS
July 8, 9 and 10
July 15, 16 and 17
July 29, 30 and 31
Aug. 12, 13 and 14
Aug. 19, 20 an 21
Aug. 26, 27 and 28
Sept. 2, 3, 4 and 5
Sept. 9, 10 and 11
Baltimore
Pittsburgh
Cleveland
Niagara Falls
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Detroit
Louisville
Baltimore Conv.
Center
Pitts. Conv. &
Expo Center
Cleveland Conv.
Center
International Conv.
Center
Cervantes Conv.
Center
Milw. Expo & Conv.
Ctr. Arena
B & C Halls • Cobo Hall
Kentucky Fair &
Expo Center
Sept. 16, 17 and 18 Atlanta
Sept. 23, 24 and 25 Memphis
Oct. 21 , 22 and 23 Omaha
Nov. 25, 26 and 27 Chicago
Dec. 2, 3 and 4 Tulsa
Dec. 16, 17 and 18 Kansas City
Dec. 22, 23 and 24 Indianapolis
Jan. 6, 7 and 8 Oklahoma City
Atlanta Market
Center
Cook Convention
Center
Omaha Civic
Auditorium
O'Hare Expo Center
Tulsa Expo Center
Kansas City Conv.
Center
Ind. Conv. Expo
Center
Myriad Convention
Center
—Linda Moran
It's the
Little Things
That Count
If it's true that the clothes
make the man then, these
days, video game players with
only a so-so ranking can com-
mand the respect of their
fellow arcaders. Well ... it
couldn't hurt to try.
With an eye toward func-
tion, fashion, not to mention
the profit incentive, in-
dividuals and companies are
offering up a host of products
designed to keep players from
blistering, straining and —
heaven forbid— losing their
quarters. One such person,
Nancy Heck , owner of Nancy
and Co. (22594 Mission
Blvd., Suite 302, Hayward,
Calif. 94541 415/582-2246),
created the Videomax video
game glove after her own ex-
periences as an avid game
player and an independent
study among her game-
playing friends. The most
common ailments, she
discovered, were blisters, suf-
fered primarily on the middle
finger and thumb. Another
problem often reported was
sweating.
So Heck went to work on
her glove design, covering up
the prone fingers and padding
areas, such as the palm, to
prevent slippage during an
especially tense game. The
gloves ($6.95 plus .45 tax and
$1 for shipping and handling)
come in white, navy blue and
Hold onto your
quarters, trackball
and directional discs
—fashionably.
These accessories
may be just the
thing to keep you
confident.
gold and are available for
both right- and left-handers in
sizes for men, women and
children. "It's both a comfort
and a status-symbol item,"
Heck says. "Especially
among younger children. For
them, it's like, 'Wow, he's so
good he's got his own glove!"
Joseph Nicoletti, of
Nicoletti Productions. (P.O.
Box 2818, Newport Beach,
Calif. 92663 213/203-9533)
and his wife, Cheryl, have
added video game accessories
to their entertainment com-
pany. The first product, in-
troduced earlier this year, is
the VCH Video Coin Holder
($7.95). Constructed of
nylon, the VCH is looped
through the belt and contains
a transparent coin holder ac-
cessed via a velcro flap. It
holds up to $9 (or 36 plays) in
quarters and comes in Galac-
tic Red, Electric Blue, Lunar
Lavendar, Cosmic Black,
Military Camo(flauge) and
Orbit Green.
Video Masters (69 Smith
St., Mt. Clemens, Mich.
48043) is marketing Thumb
Savers ($3.95 plus .50 postage
and handling per pair), soft
plastic cushions that affix to
the directional discs of the In-
telli vision system. According
to the company, the Thumb
Saver helps to "stop thumb
soreness from video
overplay," "improve home
video control response" and
adds "a touch of class" to the
home game set-up.
— Sue Adamo
12 VIDEOGAMES
••
/
IT
If
V:
J
b "■•■■:
JUMP MAN. T
ACTION GAME.
*•£•!
ff you liked jumping over barrels and climbing
ladders to save damsels in distress^ you'll love the
blazing excitement ofJUMPMAN. Your incredible
speed andiet boosters let you leap from girder to
girder, scam ladders and ropes to disarm the
bombs planted in Jupiter Headquarters. But it's
not easy, 0md there are thirty levels of difficulty.
You'll hafeto dodge missiles, killer robots, flying
saucerafcrumbling girders and vanishing escape
Routes. In the heat of battle. JUMPMAN must keep
a cool head.
7!f r
Computer Games
Epyx, 1043 Kiel Court. Sunnyvale. California 94086
DONKEY KONG is
I Designed by Randy Glover
-1 Nintendo of America, tnc
If Vou Have Ever Dreamed Of A Journey Through Time
MIPS
What's in a
Name?
Now, from the people who
brought you negative
response record and tape
clubs comes the latest
endeavor— the video game
club. Columbia House, a
marketing arm of CBS, Inc.,
recently launched a new
marketing venture which, ac-
cording to Columbia spokes-
person Diane Aronow, com-
bines an "exciting idea, good
product and good value."
Last April the first wave of
full page ads reached a variety
of magazines, including
Woman's Day, offering a
Columbia Home Video
System, capable of playing all
Atari VCS compatible games.
The cost of the unit is either
$49.95 or $59.95, depending
on whether you got an "odd"
issue or an "even" issue. (In a
market test, alternating issues
carried either price.)
The actual game unit was
manufactured by Coleco,
which was in development
with its own Gemini system
when CBS approached them.
The CBS system is identical to
the Coleco Gemini video
game machine, except for the
identification label. Gemini,
scheduled to be released later
this year, will cost $99, and in-
cludes a Donkey Kong cart-
ridge. The system's con-
trollers provide both a
joystick and a paddle on the
same unit.
Columbia's offer requires
the purchase of one of four
games (Frogger, Empire
Strikes Back, Donkey Kong
or Gorf) at $19.95, and the
purchase of five games at
"regular club prices" (cur-
rently $24.95 to $29.95, plus
shipping) during the next two
years. The member then has
10 days to decide if he wants
to join. If not, he sends back
the unit and game and cancels
his membership.
Every six weeks or so, the
member will receive an option
mailing, with the selection of
the month and many other
games offered. This is a
negative option plan, which
means that if the member
doesn 7 want the selection of
the month, he must cancel the
order, otherwise it will be sent
and the subscriber billed for
it.
This type of club has
proved successful in
marketing merchandise from
books to records and tapes,
and even fruit-of-t he-month.
Many years ago, some com-
panies abused the negative
response procedure, but
Practice Pays
Wouldn't it be nice to take a
week off and head for the san-
dy beaches of Waikiki? Well
that's exactly what 24-year-
old Harry Lubin is going to
do. And for free! Lubin is the
lucky winner of Activision's
Spider Fighter home video
game tournament, held last
February at the Bonaventure
Hotel in Los Angeles and co-
sponsored by local FM sta-
tion KMGG.
To win, Lubin participated
in the three- week, three-night-
a-week, contest and beat over
100 other determined oppo-
nents. But Lubin came pre-
pared. He reports that he
practiced for hours each day
before the finals. And in his
case practice paid off— he out
scored his nearest competitor
by over 100,000 points with a
score of 176,000.
However, Lubin wasn't the
only victor. Activision award-
ed more than $10,000 in
prizes. Second place — a
25-inch Panasonic TV and 10
Activision games — went to
Alfonso Del Monte of Dow-
ney, Calif, who scored
71,650. Ed Cabrales of Los
Angeles captured third place
with 48,400 and received a
Pioneer AM/FM portable
cassette player and five Acti-
vision games for his efforts.
— L.M.
Del Monte. Lubin, Cabrales and KMGG's Roger Rose.
nowadays there is very little
risk of being taken advantage
of.
Columbia House expects to
attract a whole new market of
potential video game users.
There are undoubtedly a large
number of people out there
who have avoided getting in-
volved in home video games
because of the expense in-
volved. Until recently, base
price for an Atari unit was
around $130. Making a com-
patible unit available for
$49.95, with the promise of
buying what averages to one
game every 5 Yi months, may
appeal to many people who
have resisted temptation so
far.
Ms. Aronow indicated that
so far response to the testing
has been "very successful."
(Columbia's first venture into
video games offered one
game from the above four
for only $4.95, with the
stipulation that you agree to
buy two more games within
one year. This is reportedly
also doing quite well.) When
the required numbei of cart-
ridges has been purchased, a
membership can be continued
with a "bonus plan" which
offers the first game at club
price, with a second game at
half price. The half-price cart-
ridge selection can be "any
game — not junk."
— Mark Brownstein
VIDEOGAMES 15
MIPS
Journey: Playing at an Arcade Near You
At last January's Consumer
Electronics Show, Bally/
Midway announced it had
made an unprecedented move
by licensing Data Age's home
video game Journey for an ar-
cade game. While officials at
Chicago-based Bally insist
that their Journey game has
very little to do with the home
version, they do admit that
the "first-ever rock video
game" is the inspiration.
"We know what level of
sophistication is necessary for
a successful arcade game, and
while the concept is similar
(the band has to overcome
various hazards in order to get
to a concert) aside from that,
there's no similarity. " reports
Jim Jarocki, head of advertis-
ing and promotion at Bally.
Premiering at the A.O.E.
(Amusement Operators Exhi-
bition) in March, the arcade
game has been kept under
wraps because, according to
Jarocki, it features "some-
thing that no one's seen be-
fore in our business. It's a
brand new hardware system
that allows us to do more
graphically than anyone else
has ever been able to do. It's
the leading edge of techno-
logy, as far as I'm concerned.
Sega's laserdisc game (Astron
Belt, demonstrated at the
A.M.O.A. show last Decem-
ber, but not yet released to the
general public) was okay. But
it wasn't much different from
those games where they have
film in the background and
you are fighting biplanes on
film. What we're doing is
totally electronic."
Evidently Journey is Bally/
Midway's entry into the laser-
disc sweepstakes. They're
very enthusiastic about the
game and about Journey as
well, whom they consider
"the most popular band in the
age group we're after." The
game is due in time for the
group's nationwide tour pro-
moting their new album.
Frontiers, which reached the
number three slot on the
charts within weeks of its
release. The cabinet graphics
for the game will be based on
the album's cover design, and
the game will feature Journey
music.
Meet Joe Video Game Player
The average video game
player is a well-adjusted,
socially active teen who keeps
his school grades at a B
average or above. He can be
termed a "doer," preferring
group activities and team
sports to solo recreation. His
life does not revolve around
video games. In fact, chances
are he spends no more than
half an hour, timewise, and
$1, moneywise, per arcade
visit.
Such were the findings of a
recently concluded nation-
wide survey commissioned by
Atari and conducted by
Custom Research, Inc. of
Minneapolis, Minn. Two
thousand male and female
participants, between the ages
of 10 and 45, were polled via
phone for the survey which
reported the following:
• Over 70 percent of all
players spend 30 minutes or
less, and over half spend $1 or
less, per visit to a video game
location.
• If a player isastudent, he
is probably a good one. Math
is the favorite school subject
of 37 percent of adolescent
players; 76 percent have an
overall grade average of B or
above.
• 44 percent of all video
game players usually play
with a friend and an addi-
tional 17 percent play with a
family member.
• The factors most impor-
tant in a video game are fast
action, color and detailed
graphics. Other incentives in-
clude improving reflexes and
competing against others.
• When they're not playing
video games, other interests
include spare time with
friends, working hard and
time spent with computers.
Atari reports it will use the
survey to help shape future
product development for the
company's coin video games
division.
— Sue Adamo
Bally/Midway is no new-
comer to the rock world, hav-
ing produced the pinball
games Captain Fantastic,
Wizard, the unforgettable
Kiss and Rolling Stones.
Their last licensed game,
Tron, was also very success-
ful. Still, Journey has to pass
the first test on its own merit
in the arcades and pizza par-
lors of America. If it is the
wild success Bally/Midway
thinks it will be, it'll be in-
teresting to see what effect, if
any, it has on the home cart-
ridge, and on the Journey
group itself.
Meanwhile, Twentieth
Century Fox Video Games is
making plans for a game cart-
ridge based on Paul McCart-
ney's film Give My Regards
to Broad Street, scheduled for
a Summer'84 release. Accord-
ing to Fox, McCartney will
have a hand in designing the
game itself and there is talk of
an arcade version as well.
Also in the planning stages, at
another company, is a home
game based on Devo. If these
recent announcements are
any indication of what's to
come, we can expect several
others in the music business to
put down their drumsticks for
joysticks and try their hands
in video games.
— John Holmstrom
16 VIDEOGAMES
THE ODYSSEY HOME ARCADE CENTER.
WIN ONE FO]
THETUFTLE
Win one of 50
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All you have to do is go to the Odysse<
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entry form. You can win one of 50
giant, six-foot-tall Odyssey Home
Arcade Centers. And each one
includes a big 19-inch color TV
screen, Odyssey keyboard, twin
eight-position joysticks and, of
course, a TURTLES™ game.
You could bring real arcade
action into your home by just
entering the contest. And spec
ing of arcade action . . .
Play TURTLES, the hit arcade
game on Odyssey. TURTLES is p
maze game, part shell gam
and all action.
The goal is to guide the
mother turtle to hidden
baby turtlets without gettin_
"bugged" by the beetles
chasing her.
For one or more players,
TURTLES features eight differ-
ent challenge levels plus
high digital scoring with
memory. And exciting
sound effects when played
with the Voice of Odyssey."
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Arcade Center and play
TURTLES and all of the
over 50 other great
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It's a combination
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-- 1983 N A P CONSUMER ELECTRONICS CORP
A NORTH AMERICAN PHILIPS COMPANY
TURTLES tfodemorh licensee by
rfONAMi Audiovisuoi Copyngnt -
1981 1982 KONAMl iNDUSTRYCO LTD
FT
DUP5
Paperback
Video Games
As an employee of the In-
terplanetary Spy Agency,
you've been assigned to track
down a ruthless kidnapper
and thief called Phatax and
return the Royal Jewels of
Alvare to their rightful
owner. Your first step is to
navigate through the space-
port maze and commit to
memory Phatax's disguises,
the design of his starcruiser
and the jewels themselves.
Soon you're trying to identify
which space sector Phatax is
in, the correct order of your
launching buttons and land-
ing pattern, and confronting
Octopods and Megarons.
One wrong move will make
you a memory in space.
Find the K trillion! (Ban-
tam, $1.95) is the first of a
series of new paperback
books designed "to bridge the
gap between the arcade and
the library." Written by Seth
McEvoy and lushly
vassal--**
s to«ue. One o, .hern
might l,i yours
illustrated, video game-style,
by Marc Hempel and Mark
Wheatley, the book borrows
action and storylines from
classic space war games and
computer maze games. It
allows readers, ages 12 and
up, to interact
storyline by having them suc-
cessfully complete puzzles,
recognize visual patterns and
make logical choices to reach
mission's end.
"We wanted to see if we
s -v-mp ? Tum-, oPagei2i
Kapar? Turn to P, 9e 49
with the could capture the video
games' experience in a
book," says Byron Preiss,
who co-created the series with
Bantam, "so we looked to
computer games for a dif-
ferent kind of puzzle book.
Pac-Man
Holds Fort
This year the Six Flags Over
Georgia recreation park in
Atlanta has added a Pac-Man
Play Fort to its dizzying selec-
tion of children's amusement
attractions. The fort is a $1
million addition to the
331 -acre theme park and
focuses on "soft play"
recreation. So, no matter how
hard the tots romp, they're
bound to stay safe.
"There's a bit of child in
each of us," says designer
Jack Pentes. 'T thought
about things I liked to do as a
kid, got down on my knees to
get a child's perspective and
designed Play Fort with them
in mind." Among the ac-
tivities are a plastic Pipeline
Crawl, soft "Boppity Bag"
punching bags, cubicles filled
with thousands of colored
plastic balls, "Mirror Maze"
and "Water Walk." A
restaurant shows Pac-Man
cartoons and a Pac-Man
Magic Show is performed
daily by Mr. and Ms. Pac in a
theater adjacent to the fort.
Six Flags is open daily
through August 28. From
Sept. 3 through Nov. 13, it's
open on Saturday and Sun-
day only. For more in forma-
tion call (404)948-9290.
18 VIDEOGAMES
BUPS
It's an excellent way to teach
kids sequential thinking."
According to Preiss, the
books make perfect compa-
nions for game players
stranded in buses, doctors'
offices, "all those impractical
places to play video games,"
he says. "1 like to call the
books 'rockets in your
pockets.' "
Releasing in June with
Kirillian! is The Galactica
Pirate. These will be
followed up in August with
Robot World (in which the
reader is sent on a mission "to
defend the last robot from
hideous humans") and Space
Olympics.
Preiss and Bantam kid-
tested the books in the arcades
before releasing them to the
general public and report the
response was "uniformly
very enthusiastic. Let me put
it this way," Preiss says.
"Would it be worth it to you
to play 36 different arcade
games for $1.95?"
— Sue Adamo
T
Dreams
Come True
Pac-Man fantasists who
have dreamed of doing to the
little yellow fellow what he
has done to others will now
have their chance — and be-
come healthier doing so.
Earlier this year the Rexall
Co. delivered Pac-Man vita-
mins to drug and food chains
throughout the country in the
hopes that young children will
find eating ghost- and Pac-
Man-shaped vitamins more
palatable than the other
chewable tablets on the
market.
Positioning its product as
"The Better Choice" against
the Flintstone vitamins, Rex-
all is claiming vitamin superi-
ority on two levels. First, Pac-
Man vitamins are sugar- free
and contain no artificial
flavors or colors. Secondly,
Pac-Man vitamins are enter-
ing the health race double-
fisted. They come in two bot-
tled variations, one for the
under four set and the other
for kids four years and older,
as each group has its own U.S.
Recommended Daily Al-
lowance (RDA).
The vitamins (bottle of 60
tablets, about $3.50) come in
five flavors: orange, grape
(purple), raspberry (dark
pink), fruit punch (light
pink) and lemon (yellow). If
lemon is your favorite, stock
up now because in six months
it will be traded in for cherry
flavor.
According to Leon Fleis-
cher, vice president of mar-
keting, "With the Pac-Man
game, a person is always try-
ing to improve his score, to
play a better game. We
wanted to show that striving
for improvement in childrens'
vitamins."
Whether a young tot can
see a marked improvement in
his game scores by adding the
vitamin to his health regimen
has yet to be determined.
— Melinda Glass
Pac-Man Goes
on the Road
Auto enthusiasts still moan
the day the last Packard rolled
off the line. But, in a totally
different four-wheeled incar-
nation — the Pac is back. This
little "street rod," built and
owned by Group Promo-
tions, Pontiac, Mich., won't
rip up the road, but it's
definitely been a traffic-
stopper at auto shows.
Designed by Larry Wood
and constructed at Rod
Powell's Custom Shop,
Salinas, Calif., the Pac-Man
car contains parts from a
variety of makers, including
Buick (V-6 engine), Volks-
wagen (panels) and Peterbilt
truck (fenders). Three
months in the making, it
debuted last October in Mon-
treal and will make its way
around the country for the
next two-and-a-half years, at
which time it will be
disassembled and used for
spare parts.
The interior of the car
(which is insured for
$100,000) resembles that of
other autos, save a unique
feature on the dashboard.
There one finds a taped game
display of the little fellow in
action around a maze; a tape
deck nearby emits the sounds
of the game we all know and
love so well.
According to a spokesman
at Group Promotions, the
most action the car sees is be-
ing driven up and down the
ramp of the truck that
transports it and entry and ex-
it from the halls that host the
auto shows. How atypical
from the speedy demon it's
modeled after! — S. A.
VIDEOGAMES 19
World's Largest Selection of
Commercial ana Home Video Games
and Accessories.
WE HAVE EVERY CARTRIDGE 8t ACCESSORY
FOR ATARI VIDEO COMPUTER SYSTEM- 40CW800™
5200- INTELLIVISION™ COLECOVISION " fir VECTREX •
Send $2.00 for our latest Catalog &
Newsletter telling about all the new
and exciting products shown at the
January '83 Consumer Electronics Show!
lease specify if you have an
sri 400/800 unit, and we will
nd you our Atari 400/800 Catah
I •
ACCESSORIES POR MATTEL*
INTELL1VISION " UNIT
(Not for use with Intellivlsion " n or III)
Joystick 14.95/set
Precision machined from aluminum
(gold anodized) for the most discrimi-
nating player Includes 2 replacement
disks with screw in straight stick and
ball handles.
Distick 10.00/pair
Replacement joysticks for lntellivision~
mad< impact plastic.
Intellivlsion- Dust Cover 7.95^
Heavy vinyl with logo.
ALL MAIL ORDER COMPANIES
ARE NOT THE SAMEI
1 1 order
ACCESSORIES POR ATARI' VCS
fir ATARI* 400V800 1 "
GA.M.E.S.- Super Joystick 29.95^
Finest quality, 5-year mfrs. wanai
Joystick Extension Cord (6 ft.) 4.95*
6-wire cable. (12 ft.) 6.95*
Joystick "Y" Adapter 6.95*
Allows Joystick ft paddles to remain
connected, saving wear and tear on
connector pins.
Joystick Lefty Adapter 5.95*
Allows Atari* joystick to be turned 90° for
left handed persons.
Supercharger • by Starpath - 39.95t
Regularly 69.95. With Phaser Patrol-
Tape (increase memory of Atari* VCS).
Emerson- AC/DC
Cassette Recorder 24.95
95.
Atari* Dust Covers 7.95 t
For 2600. 400. 800 ft 5200 models.
All h* ^go
ACCESSORIES FOR
COLECOVISION~
Superjoystlck" with
2 Fire Buttons 29.95+
This is the same quality joystick we've
been selling for Atari? 5 year mfrs.
warranty.
Ball Handle (EZ Joystick) 10.00/pr.t
For Coleco""
Joysticks "Y "Adapter 10.00/Ea.t
Allows use of ( - superjoystick
with standard Coleco- controller 1 }
9- wire cable.
Controller Extension Cord
9-wire cable. (9 ft.) 10.00^
Colecovision- Dust Cover 7.95*
Heavy vinyl with logo.
Visa and MasterCard holders may call
to place orders: 1-800-626-9592.
NO C.O.D. ORDERS.
(Dealer inquiries welcom<
G.A.m.C.S.
Direct all mail order ft catalog requests to Van Nuys.
San Fernando Valley: Onwig* County; Sooth Bay. Thotitand 0«k»:
-;,^.*,la 3649 Thousand Oaks Bt-<
■
For Information call: 1-213-7811300
»n.-Fri. 9-6PST/Sat. 9-5 1
MIPS
TV Game
Show Games
How many times has this
happened to you? You turn
on the TV set and switch to
one of those afternoon game
shows, just in time to witness
a contestant up for the big
cash price. The emcee's ques-
tion seems easy enough to
you, but, somehow, the con-
testant blows it. "I could have
done better than that," you
mumble to yourself as you
slump in your seat and watch
the credits roll by.
Well, the people behind the
Great Game Company, Holly-
wood, Fla., are ready to put
you to the test. At the end of
this year, they'll be releasing
the first cartridges of a game
line based on such popular
TV quiz shows as The Family
Feud, The Price is Right,
Jeopardy, Password PI 'us and
The Joker's Wild. "There are
50 million people who watch
these game shows," says
Michael Sisson, vice president
advertising/marketing, "so
logic says that anyone within
that 50 million group who has
the (VCS) hardware is cer-
tainly going to buy these
games. You have to explain to
A carl based on Family Feud is
first on the Great Game Com-
pany's roster of game show games.
someone how to play 'Aster-
oid Search,' for example.
You don't have to explain to
anybody how to play Family
Feud. There isn't anybody
who hasn't watched it at one
time or another."
The Great Game Com-
pany, a division of I. J. A., the
children's record company,
was the brainchild of presi-
dent Irv Schwartz who had
been looking to carve a u-
nique niche in the video game
market. "My first reaction,"
recalls Sisson, "was 'Gee, Irv,
I think it's a marvelous idea,
but I don't know that we can
get those licenses. After all,
Parker is doing one of the
shows in a boxed game and
Milton Bradley is doing at
least three.'" Much to Sis-
son's surprise the video game
rights to the programs were
still available and The Great
Game Company went into ne-
gotiations with the respective
television show producers.
Tapped to program the
cartridges was conceptual de-
signer Patrick McBride,
whose main concern, says
Sisson, was getting enough
out of the limited 8K memory
to do a faithful translation.
Sisson reports the results are
"superb," with the inclusion
of up to 60 game rounds per
cart and full use of the music,
background and individual
trademarks of the particular
shows. For instance, Family
Feud, one of the first games
on the Game Company's ros-
ter, begins with an opening
screen featuring the show's
logo lights and an emcee
walking out and planting a big
KISS on the TV screen. The
next screen offers a topic, say
"Dangerous Fish," and the
first player or team to hit the
fire button of the joystick gets
control of the board. Seven
answers are displayed on the
screen, with only the first let-
ter of each revealed. The ob-
ject is to find the three most
popular answers on the board
by moving a cursor, via joy-
stick, to your guess within
three seconds.
The producers of Family
Feud, Goodson-Todman Pro-
ductions, had approval all the
way through the games' de-
sign — from initial concepts,
to storyboard, through pro-
gramming, and they supplied
questions and responses from
actual shows.
Despite the fierce competi-
tion among software makers,
Sisson feels his company has
"an excellent chance" with
their products and to help that
along they've designed distinc-
tive packaging. "Everyone is
ditzying up their packages
with all kinds of little pictures
and colors," Sisson notes.
"I'd like to stand out on the
shelf, so we designed a simple
package with all the emphasis
on the game title. What I'm
trying to do is build a family
identity for the series and I'm
doing that by using the show's
logo, in gold, on a solid black
background."
The company is looking to
move into software for other
game systems and home com-
puters as well and, to be sure,
they're keeping their eyes on
the TV listings to see what
other game shows might crop
up. ▲ —Sue Adamo
VIDEOGAMES 21
VIDEO GAMES INTERVIEW
Arnold C. Greenberg
By Roy Trakin
It 's a gray Saturday afternoon at the
Hartford, Conn., headquarters of
Coleco. The company's 49-year-old
president, Arnold C. Greenberg,
sits behind a desk amidst towering piles
of memos, invoices and bills. Impec-
cably groomed, with gray-flecked hair,
bushy eyebrows and an intense, straight-
forward manner, he is surrounded by
the recreational products that have
moved Coleco to the upper crust of the
video game field. Last year, the com-
pany started by his father, Maurice, 50
years ago, tripled its sales from $178
million in 1981 to a whopping $510
million, with net income shooting up 420
percent to $40 million.
The history of Coleco reads like a
fabled American success story. From its
humble beginnings, selling leather goods
to shoemakers, Coleco began manufac-
turing its own products, including
leathercraft kits for Mickey Mouse and
Davy Crockett moccasins, and Howdy
Doody Bee-Nees in the early '50s. The
company's interest in licensing has
endured to this day with toys built
around such marketable commodities as
Smurfs (playhouses), E.T. (pools and
power cycles), Sesame Street (Rumble
Seat Roadster) and G.I. Joe (Arctic
Patrol Bobsleds).
From leather, the company expanded
into plastics in the 60's, building a
reputation as the leading manufacturer
of above-ground swimming pools. In
1966, Greenberg, who had been practic-
ing law and representing the family com-
pany, moved over to Coleco on a full-
time basis. As son, brother, director,
major stockholder and legal represen-
22 VIDEOGAMES
AColecoVision of the Future
"We can make the
experience the
equivalent of life itself.
You will be the star of
a 35 millimeter movie,
you will be at the
center. All of this is
merely a warm-up for
what's ahead in the
next few years/'
tative to the company, who had been in-
volved in the growth it experienced, he
says it was an easy choice to make. Two
years after his arrival, the company ac-
quired Eagle Toys, a manufacturer of a
tabletop rod-hockey effort, heralding
Coleco's entry into the sports game
arena. Soon Greenberg and his brother,
Leonard, chairman of the company,
began prowling the arcades, searching
for the next big thing. They found it in a
game called Pong.
Pong sparked the brothers into think-
ing of bringing such fare into the home.
In 1976, one year after Atari offered its
own home version of Pong, Coleco in-
troduced Telstar, a "dedicated" video
unit and, in the following two years, of-
fered upgraded versions and a program-
mable unit. The interest in the dedicated
systems was being overshadowed by the
popularity of hand-held electronic
games, pushing the company into this
new area. While Coleco managed to sell
in excess of $20 million in hand-held
games, it was forced to dump more than
a million units of Telstar, driving the
company close to bankruptcy in 1978,
when financial reports revealed a loss of
over $20 million dollars.
Ironically, this flirtation with disaster
made the company more determined
than ever to remain in touch with the
ever-changing world of toys. Coleco Vi-
sion, the video game player introduced
last August, sold over a half million
units in 1982, at $175 apiece. And, even
though this made the unit $75 more ex-
pensive than Atari's VCS, video afi-
cionados praised its lifelike graphics,
which were superior even to Intellivi-
sion, and $35 lower in price. Greenberg
predicts that Coleco will soon surpass
Mattel to become the No. 2 seller of
video game players, right behind Atari.
The future looks bright indeed for the
recreation and toy company. Coleco has
gone into agreements to bring out 20
new games by the end of '83, including
popular titles like Donkey Kong, Jr.,
Space Fury, Rocky Battles the Champ
and Gorf In January, Coleco made
CBS its principal foreign distributor,
and will begin developing and marketing
for Coleco Vision, home video cartridges
licensed by CBS from Bally. A lawsuit
with Atari has just been settled, allowing
Coleco to continue to produce the ex-
pansion module which makes it possible
to play A tari 2600 cartridges on the Co-
leco Vision system, while Coleco con-
tinues manufacturing of cartridges for
the Atari and Intellivision systems. The
company recently introduced a wafer
system known as the Super game
Module, which has more memory
capacity than any video game software
on the market, more than eight times
that of any Atari 2600 compatible car-
tridge. At the June Consumer Elec-
tronics Show Coleco will enter the home
1
computer business with the introduction
of a Coleco Vision computer (total cost:
$375— $175 for the video game player,
and $200 for the module). The computer
module will come with a printer and con-
tain a microdrive, a new storage device
superior to the cassette storage units
used in other lower-priced computers.
So, while experts argue whether the
public will buy a home computer from a
company known primarily as a toy
manufacturer, Coleco gears up for a
future where video games can "replicate
life itself and in which the player
becomes "the star of his own 35
millimeter movie." As Arnold
Greenberg systematically describes his
company's prospects, I glance over his
shoulder and see a row of posters hang-
ing on the wall, a chronology of the com-
pany—from leather moccasin kits to
above-ground swimming pools to
tricycles and ride-on choppers to video
games and computers and beyond. Only
in America could the son of a leather
goods man grow up to be head of a
manufacturer of home computers. A
portrait of founder Maurice Greenberg
hangs in the boardroom at Coleco. It
might have been my imagination, but I
could swear he was beaming with pride
as his son described his company 's vision
of the future.
VIDEO GAMES: How do you feel
about Wall Street's prediction that video
games have peaked, in the wake of
Atari's fourth quarter slump?
ARNOLD GREENBERG: I think Wall
Street clearly overreacted, and very er-
roneously downgraded the prospects for
continued growth of the video game
market. Warner Communications had a
record year in 1982 and, clearly, Wall
Street made an error and very quickly
corrected that error and now realizes
that the industry is healthy. Some com-
panies may be healthier than others.
What really happened last year was that,
as newer competitors came in, market
shares were being reallocated and the
fortunes of some companies were ad-
vancing at the expense of other com-
panies. I'm very positive about the in-
dustry and, more importantly, the great
opportunity that the industry has to keep
growing. Now, by industry, I mean both
the video game industry and the home
computer industry, which I define to be
under $500 at retail. Increasingly, those
two industries should be treated as one.
There is too much focus on video games
versus home computers, as if they are
competing industries. In fact, they are
not. There is much too much focus on
the hardware means of delivery that,
truly, I think is a false distinction. The
real issue is to take a look at the software
opportunity that both hardware systems
seek. What we're really saying is that the
industry is one involving computerized
entertainment. Whether you buy a video
game system or a home computer, gen-
erally, substantially all the software that
you're using is entertainment in nature.
A more powerful machine, which we
tend to call a home computer, lends itself
to more sophisticated entertainment
software. But, still, the majority of the
software packages bought by home
computer owners is entertainment soft-
ware.
VG: So you see the home com-
puter/video game as a luxury item rather
than a necessity?
AG: It's hard to say that a video game is
a luxury. That may literally be so, but I
don't think that that is a difference that
takes us anywhere. Some 15 million
American families have already bought
a video game system. Therefore, it is get-
ting to be as much a necessity of life as a
luxury. What I'm saying is, the name of
the game is computerized entertain-
ment, whether or not that entertainment
is made possible by a video game system
or a home computer system. We should
not look at the two kinds of machines as
antithetical and opposite. Increasingly,
video game systems of the future will be
more complex. They will, in fact, be
home computers, and the kind of enter-
tainment software that they will make
available will be increasingly
sophisticated. The direction we are go-
ing towards is more interactivity, more
sensory appeal. There will always be a
large market for the very low-priced
video game system, and that will be for
the consumer who wants an entry-level
experience at a low price. But the more
sophisticated video game systems, which
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24 VIDEOGAMES
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are in fact home computers, I think will
increasingly take a larger share of the
total market.
Games are a foot in the door, but
entertainment is more than merely
games. It's a step up in sophistication
from games. After the kids first bring
these systems into the house to play
games, the adults eventually learn how
they can use them or, as the children get
older, they find uses for the home com-
puter in addition to entertainment.
That's what the ColecoVision home
computer system is all about: finding
utilitarian opportunities for the entire
family to put to work. The opportunities
are very real, and that is the key to mak-
ing the home computer appealing to the
entire family.
VG: What is your own company's par-
ticular role in that evolution?
AG: We think we have a very mean-
ingful role in the evolution. We believe
that there are three primary uses for a
home computer: entertainment, infor-
mation management and education.
And I rank them in that order. By virtue
of who we are and our particular back-
ground, we think that we will address
those three functions in a truly unique
way and we will go very heavily on our
experiences as a successful entertain-
ment company and as one whose
distribution network tilts very heavily
toward those large retailers who are
comfortable handling entertainment
and promotional merchandise. In many
cases, those are the retailers specializing
exclusively in toy and entertainment
products. These are the people who want
products that are simple, integrated and
functional, but don't require a great deal
of demonstration. The mass consumer
market is the one we take as our objec-
tive. We do not seek to turn the mass of
Americans into programmers. We are
not looking for a hobbyist market. We
are seeking a very broad-based market.
VG: I understand that just this week the
lawsuit between Coleco and Atari
regarding the Coleco Expansion Module
#1 has been settled. Could you tell us
about the issue that was involved here?
AG: The lawsuit raised the question as to
whether or not there was any patent in-
fringement by Coleco in connection with
the Expansion Module #1 which we
made for the ColecoVision system. That
module made it possible to play any
Atari 2600 VCS compatible game on our
system. It also raised the very same pa-
tent question with regards to our new
Gemini video game system. Again, it is a
free-standing system that makes it possi-
ble to play the Atari cartridges. As a
result of the settlement, Coleco will con-
tinue to be able to make and ship both
the Expansion Module #1 and the
Gemini free-standing system and that
will be done under a royalty-paid license
under the Atari patents.
VG: Tell us about the Gemini. Is it a
children's system?
AG: No, the Gemini is not just for
children. It's a free-standing system that
functionally can do what the Atari 2600
VCS can do— it plays compatible car-
tridges. We have a very fine controller
that's included with the game; one that's
both a joystick and paddle controller at
the same time. We also include a Donkey
Kong cartridge, which we had pro-
grammed last year, and $25 in savings
coupons that enable the consumer to
buy up to five Coleco program car-
tridges that are Atari VCS-compatible.
The other part of the Gemini system is
what we call Gemini Sound I. This is a
sound module that can work on any
Atari VCS, the Gemini or the Atari
module that plugs into the ColecoVision
system. It's a patented, digitally encoded
sound system that coordinates the ac-
tion on the screen with sounds. We are
making use of licenses, such as the
Berenstain Bears, Dr. Seuss, theSmurfs,
to capture what should be a very appeal-
ing youth market.
VG: In a market atmosphere that has
become so crowded with software game
cartridges, what is the key to breaking
hits?
AG: I think the titles that are likely to be
the most profitable and the most suc-
cessful are those based upon very strong
licenses. But that's only step one. Step
two requires that the home video ver-
sions be very well programmed. They
must be good translations, not merely
graphically, but in terms of game play.
Finally, they should be effectively and
aggressively promoted on TV. That's
very important. Those companies able
to combine these three elements should
have hits. I see the software market
developing multiple tiers, with car-
tridges of varying quality available for
$5, $10, $15, $20 and up.
VG: Do you see the coin-op business,
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26 VIDEOGAMES
even as it wanes, continuing to be an im-
portant source of licensed titles?
AG: Absolutely. The coin-op business is
not as strong as it once was for various
reasons. There's been a proliferation of
newer machines, but they've been
unable to gain a foothold because the
hits of yesteryear are such hearty peren-
nials. Another reason for its weakness is
that there are now many coin-op hits
available in home versions. But, as a
whole, 1 think that industry is healthy,
and all that it awaits are technological
developments that will create new, ex-
citing forms of games. Some of those
developments will take place this year,
things in the nature of 3-D and the
videodisc, which will make coin-op play
more exciting. Videodiscs can enhance
graphics and make the whole experience
more sensory, more interactive and cer-
tainly more appealing.
VG: Talking about making the ex-
perience more appealing, is your own
Super Action Controller a step in this
direction?
AG: The Super Action Controller is a
system designed for use primarily with a
line of advanced ColecoVision sports
software. It's a pistol-grip and comes
with the ability to move four players in-
dividually, 360-degree rotary joystick,
12-position keypad— so you really have
a very interactive, sensory controller
system. The software that's designed for
it will be quite unusual — it'll represent
the best in sports software available. For
JtotogJffld l i
instance, the baseball game will be split-
screen, so that you will be able to see
many images and different aspects of the
baseball game at different times. The
Super Action Controller really will lend
itself to a very new software experience.
And that's really what we're talking
about in terms of future development:
an experience that can take the player
and bring him closer to the center of the
action. We can make the experience the
equivalent of life itself. You will be the
star of a 35 millimeter movie, you will be
at the center. All of this is merely a
warm-up for what's ahead in the next
few years.
VG: Although you believe strongly in
licensing, Coleco is still very much com-
mitted to creating original games.
AG: Oh, yes, original games are very im-
portant, and even the programming of
licensed games is important. The
translation from the licensed version to
the home version takes a great deal of
skill and programming capability. We
have been doing that in-house since last
year.
VG: Why haven't you publicized the in-
dividual programmers of the games, as
Activision and others do and, in the
same vein, hired a visible company
spokesperson, a la George Plimpton and
Bill Cosby, for your TV advertising
campaigns?
AG: We don't believe that a cartridge is
created by any one person. We have a
team of many people, including graphics
designers, who are very key to the
development of any cartridge. We think
it's inappropriate to lay the primary
VIDEOGAMES 27
credit at the feet of any one individual.
It's been a deliberate move on our part
to avoid working with a spokesman.
Our thinking on that has been several-
fold: Number one, our product is so
superior to the competition in the
marketplace, that in and of itself, our
product is the very best spokesman. Sec-
ondly, and this stems from the first
reason, is that it's pointless for us to
compare ourselves with the competition .
We think we're dramatically better.
What our commercials do is compare
our product with the arcade experience
and that really seems to be a much better
way to go.
VG: Will the market for hand-held
games continue to be profitable?
AG: Oh, there's no question that will be
a continuing market, even with video
game prices getting lower and lower.
VG: When you first entered the video
game market seven years ago, how did
you think the business would develop?
AG: We knew back then that the field
would develop along cartridge-based
lines. The only question was how quick-
ly it would take. Actually, it took quite a
bit longer for the video of the present
day to develop because the portable
market got so strong in the late '70s. The
advantages of portability are ob-
vious, so, when the low-cost
microprocessor became abundantly
available, it was possible to create a new
game experience that, for a while at
least, clearly overshadowed video.
VG: You entered the video game hard-
ware market rather late. What was your
strategy in introducing ColecoVision?
AG: We became convinced that the
market needed a third-generation
system, a system with even better
graphics than the Mattel system, and
with exciting software. And we felt that,
with the advent of the home computer, it
would be desirable to create a system
that was expandable — that was modular
in nature, so that state-of-the art
developments could be incorporated in-
to it as they came along. We saw the need
to create a much better mousetrap. We
felt that the available technology was
such that a better product could be
created, in terms of graphic capability,
in terms of the controller system, and, in
particular, in terms of expandability.
VG: And now you are introducing an at-
tachment that can turn ColecoVision
from a video game system into a home
computer, which can compete with the
Texas Instrument 99/4A, Atari 400 or
Commodore VIC.
AG: We will be at the June Consumer
Electronics Show previewing a very
unusual keyboard module, complete
with certain peripherals that will help us
address in a unique way the primary uses
of the home computer as we see it —
entertainment, information manage-
ment and education.
VG: Are you convinced that the most
important function of the home com-
puter will be entertainment, or is that on-
ly from Coleco's perspective?
AG: It seems to me that's not even a
debatable issue. All one has to do is take
a look and see what kind of software is
being purchased by people who own
home computers. Anywhere from two-
thirds to three- fourths of the units are
entertainment software. I believe that
will continue. The home computer is
merely a more sophisticated entertain-
ment machine than the video game.
VG: Do you feel that video games can be
an important learning tool for
youngsters?
AG: I'm delighted to see that even the
President of the United States just
recently commented that video games
can be very constructive, indeed, even in
the training of pilots. I think video
games have done a lot to lower the age of
computer literacy and help break down
the barrier between consumer and com-
puter. Video games are, in and of
themselves, home computers, and the
value of the video game experience, is, at
least in part, that the user quickly
develops the hand-eye coordination that
is of great value in the manipulation of
the computer. Video games can teach the
player memory and strategy. One in-
creases one's score if one develops cer-
tain memory capability with respect to
noting what is a repetitive game pattern
and what isn't. The more one concen-
trates on the challenge of game play, the
higher one's score can be. So, there are
valid learning experiences that come
from working with video games, and I
think they are a very natural transitional
step into the home computer. To argue
otherwise at this late date, is really rather
foolish. I see no danger in reducing the
age of computer literacy. I see no danger
at all in furthering understanding.
VG: Is Coleco active in distributing game
cartridges to outlets like video stores?
AG: I think our products will increasing-
ly be sold by stores that also sell video
cassettes. The development of the soft-
ware boutique is a new concept in mer-
chandising that will certainly be promi-
nent in the '80s.
VG: How can a company like Coleco go
up against the mass communications
giants like Warner Brothers or CBS in
competing for shelf space in stores like
that?
AG: The key to competing is having the
right product, whether you're large or
small. And our product is right. We
compete with anyone and everyone in
every means of distribution.
VG: Does Coleco plan to move in the
direction of establishing their own retail
computer outlets, such as Apple and
IBM have done?
AG: No. That is a very different, and
specialized market. It's the personal
computer field, which is a specialized
text market and a complicated one, for
different people who require a great deal
of demonstration. That's not what our
system is about. We're talking about a
mass consumer product here that must
be simple. It's got to be able to hang on a
hook. It does not need extensive in-store
demonstration in order to let people
know what it is. It's got to be clear and
apparent on its face.
VG: How would you describe the Col-
eco image?
AG: We're a worldwide leader in the
manufacture of entertainment and rec-
reational products for the entire family.
Right now, most of that is electronic — in
1982, 73 percent of our volume was elec-
tronic. But, we do have an important
and growing position in the non-
electronic toy and entertainment pro-
duct area, and that's a position we ex-
pect to continue to expand.
VG: Can Coleco catch up to the front-
runners even with its relatively late start?
AG: Behind the front-runners? Well, I
suppose technically we are, but we feel
that the momentum is certainly running
with us. We believe we are clearly
established as the most wanted video
game system, even though some of the
others have sold more units in the past.
That really is the key consideration.
VG: And to what do you attribute that
momentum?
AG: A combination of quality, a better
product, and very agressive marketing
and merchandising. a
28 VIDEOGAMES
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GEORGE
OVERMAN
The Fine Art of Video Games
By Mark Hazard Osmun
A\ painted woman rises in the
/■\ midst of a fantasy landscape.
\ She is naked. Her body is entire-
ly green except for her face. There the
green breaks into patterns exposing flesh
tones reminiscent of a loosely woven
mask. She looks almost serpentine rising
amid huge, illuminated, red mushrooms
and prismatic flashes of light.
"It was unusual to say the least," says
George Opperman, "to be working with
a girl in green greasepaint. And those
models don't work cheap either," he
laughs.
Opperman, 48, is the Director of
Visual Communications for Atari's
Coin-Operated Games Division. It is his
responsibility, along with a 12-person
staff, to create and produce all artwork
for Atari's arcade games, be it adver-
tisements, posters, promotions or game
cabinets.
Opperman turns again to the lovely
young woman featured on the poster on
the wall before him. "We were trying to
create a Centipede poster for our
distributors and this is what we came up
with. It's good, but its definitely not
what we would put out for the general
public." While the art is eye-catching
and beautifully rendered, it is also sexy.
Atari's Marketing and Corporate Public
Relations divisions and Opperman
himself must think about more than art
when it comes to the public. They must
consider art's relation to business.
Traditionally, the temperaments of
30 VIDEOGAMES
". . They must be
able to translate that
blip into something
— a character,
a monster, a design,
an abstract symbol.
They must be
talented. . ."
the artist and the businessman have been
thought to be opposed— bohemian, ir-
responsible, creative types on one hand;
uptight, but dependable, conservatives
on the other. In Opperman one finds the
opposites reconciled in a charac-
teristically sensible way.
Opperman came to Atari via the On-
tario (Canada) College of Art, Drake
University (where he majored in graphic
design and marketing), Commercial
Arts Magazine and various advertising
agencies and design offices. In 1972,
Nolan Bushnell's fledgling company,
Atari, was one of Opperman's clients.
By 1 976, he was invited to join the com-
pany's staff, making him now one of
the longest-surviving Atari employees,
and from there built the graphic design
department from a one-man operation
to its present complement.
Seated at his desk, Opperman is sur-
rounded by the tools of an artist's
trade— a drafting table to his right, 144
shades of color marker pens behind him,
sketches laid out before him.
He is dressed appropriately for the
board meeting he has just returned
from: a neatly tailored suit, button-
down collar, pinstripe shirt and conser-
vative tie. Beneath such wrappings,
however, lurk spacey, comic-book vi-
sions of turquoise asteroids and laser ex-
plosions.
"It's a Jekyll and Hyde thing," Op-
perman says. "This is a business. And
because it is a business and our schedules
VIDEOGAMES 31
are so tight, we have to be disciplined.
Contrary to what many may believe, this
is not a laid-back line of work and the
temperamental artist can't last long
here.
"On the other hand there are no limits
placed on our designers and il-
lustrators — other than time and money.
We want them to take things further
ahead all the time.
"We want good illustrators with good
design sense and good color sense. They
must be able to do finished art as well as
be able to visualize how to interpret
game play from what they see on the
video screen. They must be able to
translate that blip into something — a
character, a monster, a design, an
abstract symbol. They must be
talented."
Opperman pauses and shakes his
head. "You know for years you hear
people say, 'God, if I could just have
freedom, I could really do something. I
could do great things!' Well I say, 'Now
you have. Let's see if you're up to it!' "
The first step in producing art-
work for an arcade game, says
Opperman, is to play the game.
When a designer plays, say, Centipede,
he looks for aspects of the game that sug-
gest exciting display art. The writhing
motions of the Centipede, for example,
was the take-off point resulting in the
poster image of the green serpentine
woman among the mushrooms.
But before the design team (one
supervisor, designer and illustrator col-
laborate on each game) puts pencil to
paper, the Industrial Design division
must provide the specs (size, shape, etc.)
of the cabinet that will house the game.
The type of cabinet — coffee table,
upright, or enclosed/sitdown (a la Red
Baron) — determines much of the overall
design. That accomplished, the designer
begins work on rough "idea sketches."
"When it is time to draw," says Op-
perman, "I get a sort of tunnel vision, an
approach of concentration during which
all else fades away. When I'm done, I
can then turn back to the business
aspects of this work."
A foam core, wood and paper
1/4 -scale model of the cabinet complete
with artwork is then constructed. This
model helps the artists see how their
work is progressing and provides the
32 VIDEOGAMES
marketing division with a mock-up to
evaluate, approve or reject. When a
design is approved, the illustrators and
designers move to finished art. Each col-
or is cut individually for silkscreening.
The final processes are conducted
nearby at Atari's 45,000 square-foot
silkscreening plant. Workers at the heav-
ily automated facility stencil each game's
side panels using a six-by-eight-foot
press, while others are kept busy inking
glass or vinyl "attraction" panels. As
many as six different colors are screened
onto each side panel — each color going
through the press individually.
The end result, it is hoped, is an arcade
game that will catch the eye and attract
one to it like a flower does a bee.
"What we sell," says Visual Commu-
nications Supervisor, Bob Flemate, "is
what happens in our minds and comes
out through our hands."
Of course it is not always that forth-
right or poetic; there are moments when
business intrudes unwelcomed into the
realm of art.
"The frustrating thing," Opperman
admits, "is when we don't have enough
time to do a reasonable job. For exam-
ple, when there is a big show coming up,
on top of everything else, the constraints
of time (and money) limit us."
Sometimes, though, it is not time but
taste that stands in the way of artistic ex-
pression. Tempest, a game of rather
nebulous geometric shapes, had been a
problem for Opperman's staff, who had
been trying to develop characters based
on those shapes. Finally, they came up
with monster-characters.
"Marketing liked it fine," Opperman
recalls. "But then our team leader, a
programmer, came in and said the
monsters were too scary and would drive
off players and hurt the corporate im-
age. So we had to change it."
Still, the satisfactions outweigh the
frustrations. Opperman points to the art
on Asteroids Deluxe, which he directed,
Finnish abstract painter Marty Viljamaa
designed and Flemate illustrated, as one
of his favorite works. "On Asteroids
Deluxe we got to try some different
things, like using a four-color process
rather than fill-in line art," Opperman
says. Among the 70 to 80 games he and
his staff have illustrated .Centipede and
Space Duel are also among his favorites.
Opperman may have his favorite
game designs, but the design for which
Among the 70 to 80 games the Atari coin-op art staff
has worked on, Opperman counts the intergalactic war
scenes in Space Duel as among his favorites.
he is probably most noted is the now in-
famous Atari logo. There have been
conflicting reports about the meaning
behind the design of this. Different
theories (some, or all of them, planted
by Opperman himself) keep springing
up:
•It's a Japanese letter-character.
•It's a three-line representation of
Atari's three divisions (at the time of the
symbol's creation Atari had only one
division).
•It's from the Japanese game Go.
•It represents Mt. Fuji.
•None of the above.
Cornered, Opperman offers this
story: "In 1972, George Ferraco of Atari
asked me to work on something for their
corporate I.D. Well, symbols are just
visual nicknames that combine first let-
ters and interpretive design elements
.... In six months I went through 1 50
designs.
"Anyway, I kept trying to stylize the
1 A,' then I looked at Pong— their big
game at the time. Pong had a center line
and a force (the ball) that kept hitting its
center from either side. I thought that
(force) would bend the center outward.
And that's what I designed."
Sounds perfectly reasonable. One
wants to believe it. A businessman, after
all, probably would not spend time
dreaming up another playful hoax.
An artist, on the other hand, just
might. *
VIDEOGAMES 33
mi
K€V€D
UP
ith the ever-advancing developments of
state-of-the-art technology, and
society's fascination, as well as infatu-
ation, when viewing the potential appli-
cations of personal computers for day-to-day life, it
should come as no surprise that the newest trend is
directed at expanding the capabilities of that at-
home entertainment phenomenon: the video game
system.
Where once the two were worlds apart, the past
couple of years have shown just how closely inter-
related they are— and can be— to the point that home
computers owe their considerable impact, first and
foremost, to the emphasis on bringing arcade-style
action to life.
Meanwhile, video game systems have undergone
a rapid and dramatic evolution since their initial in-
troduction little more than a decade ago. Today we
stand at the crossroads where the once thought sim-
plistic and limited system has been upgraded and up-
dated as video games enter into the computer age.
To help you survive the journey and better under-
stand what it all means for the future, VIDEO GAMES
offers a close look at the leading models and add-ons
that are keying the way for tomorrow's video game
systems.
VIDEOGAMES 35
Mnrrci int€llivision ii
One Step Beyond
1
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;
i
n
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1 1
—
•
•
I
Mattel's step-up move from video game machine
to computer system has been a long time in com-
ing. From the beginning many consumers were bowled
over by the realistic graphics of the company's Intellivi-
sion, but didn't like the price. The alternative was Atari's
2600 which was cheaper and offered more games.
Slowly, like the age-old feud between Chevy and Ford
owners, consumers started to take sides between In-
tellivision and the Atari VCS. Then they sat on their
couches behind their prospective game machines and
waited for their company's next brilliant (they hoped)
move.
Atari didn't make a move, but Mattel did. Banking on
its "superior" reputation, Mattel figured its fans were
ready for a more sophisticated product and began test-
marketing a computer add-on that, at the time, was
planned to cost $700 to $800. It proved to be a price
point which doomed the unit and also led to Mattel's
use of rebate offers designed to help Intellivision earn
some price equality.
Now, Mattel fans are smiling as their company, final-
ly in sync with the market, has introduced an updated
and less-expensive Intellivision II along with an array of
affordable peripherals which turn it into a computer
system for beginners, as well as a music synthesizer.
The entire package has been dubbed the "Entertain-
36 VIDEOGAMES
ment Computer System" (ECS), and is being positioned
right between video games that compute and com-
puters that play games.
The Intellivision II essentially is the Intellivision I only
with some design changes such as its sleek, white
housing, reduced in size with peripherals to match. Ap-
pearances aside, the unit includes detachable hand
controllers with longer cables, an on/off switch and a
price that will be anywhere from $130 to $200. All ex-
isting Intellivision games and peripherals will still fit the
new model with an updated Intellivoice in the matching
white retailing for about $80.
Since the Intellivision II "s controllers are detachable,
Mattel now offers new controllers which plug into the
unit and can be used with all Intellivision games. The
joysticks measure 3 W high and have top-mounted fire
buttons and four side-action buttons located on their
bases. They'll probably retail for under $20 per pair.
Simply speaking, the ECS expands the Intellivision
systems into areas of education, music and family-
oriented computing. It does so via the computer adap-
tor, which connects directly into the model I or II, and
provides 2K of additional RAM memory, enhanced ma-
nipulation of graphics, and 12K ROM with Intellivision's
own built-in BASIC computer language.
Of course, the adaptor does nothing without its com-
panion 49-digit, full-travel keyboard (It looks just like a
typewriter). When you plug the two in, your Intellivision
becomes a computer that can be easily programmed to
perform a variety of functions. The keyboard also adds
a new dimension to video games because it sup-
plements the hand controllers by allowing the user to
change any aspect of the game such as graphics, skill
level and game action. Keyboard and adaptor will be
priced at about $125 to $150.
Mattel's three new "Super" games designed just for
the ECS— World Series Baseball ($35), Mind Strike
($35) and Scooby Doo's Maze Chase ($26; names sub-
ject to change)— are good examples of how the player
can use the additional memory and keyboard to
heighten the fun. In the baseball game (created by a
designer and full-time statistician), you can program
Hall of Famers to play against each other or program
batting and pitching statistics for your team. In the
Scooby Doo maze game, if you tire of the 15 pre-
programmed mazes, you can use the computer
keyboard to create your own.
New kids games for the ECS are Ways With Words,
Number Jumble and Flintstones Keyboard Fun, each to
sell for around $26. Designed to help children improve
spelling, grammar, sentence structure and mathe-
matical skills, the games at the same time will develop
any beginner's keyboard dexterity. And for the child or
adult beginner who wants to learn more about BASIC
programming, Mattel will introduce two programming
cartridges with the ECS. Tentatively called Mr. BASIC
Meets "Bits 'N' Bytes" and Game Maker, the software
combines simple programming and video games.
In Mr. BASIC ($26), a split screen shows the user pro-
gram commands at the top and video game action at
the bottom. Programs use color-coded graphics to
make learning easier. Game Maker ($26) allows you to
create your own video game without doing all the work.
The game's graphics and play are already designed for
you. Your job is to choose the characters and action
you want (you can even plug in any Intellivision game
cart you might have and select characters from it) and
then finish the program.
Melody Maker is one piece of software in the ECS music line.
Despite these capabilities, don't confuse the ECS
with Mattel's other new introduction, the Aquarius
Home Computer System. That machine, Mattel says, is
for more serious computer users hoping to do more
powerful applications.
Mattel's director of marketing for Intellivision new
products and peripherals, Gary Moscovitz, stresses that
Intellivision and the ECS peripherals are entertainment
systems. And while he can envision a two-computer
family where an ECS and Aquarius system could co-
exist peaceably in the future, Mattel's aim with the ECS
is only to bannish consumers' lingering timidity regard-
ing computers, by offering the potential applications
and capabilities in an entertaining and non-intimidating
way.
"At the end of 1983, there will no longer be video
game-only machines," Moscovitz says. "This is the
year of transition between video games and computer
systems — it's becoming one continuum. What kind of a
system a family will buy is based on what the family
wants to do with it and its budget."
He believes the majority of families in '83 will want to
ease into computing as opposed to getting right into
disk drives, spread sheets and writing 64K programs.
The Intellivision ECS is their ticket to painless com-
puting.
Still, when the family's knowledge and computing ex-
pertise grows, so can the Intellivison memory. Another
new gadget— Mattel's program expander — gives users
an additional 8K ROM memory including extended
BASIC language and 16K RAM to write more
sophisticated programs, process more information and
play more advanced video games. The expander is ex-
pected to retail for around $80 and will then actually
allow the ECS user to perform some of the same func-
tions possible with the Aquarius. In fact, the Intellivision
II user can plug the Aquarius thermal printer (selling for
less than $200) or any of many printers on the market
into his Intellivision for any specific hard copy functions.
There's even the option of using Aquarius' Data
Recorder (under $100) consumer-supplied tape
recorder, which will operate in conjunction with the
system to store additional information.
Mattel's BASIC Programmer software ($35), to be in-
troduced with the Intellivision II and ECS system this
summer, is an intermediate-level cartridge designed to
be used with the program expander. On-screen lessons
and a simple step-by-step manual take the user through
the fundamentals of BASIC language and actually show
you how to write your own programs. With the Intellivi-
sion BASIC, if you write a line of code, it appears color
coded. If the computer doesn't understand the program
or instruction, it doesn't color code it, so you instantly
know you've made a mistake. This is Mattel's way of
providing a nonfrustrating method of learning computer
programming, Moscovitz says.
Did you say you always wanted to play piano? Well,
Mattel's Intellivision II can do that, too — with a little help
from its music synthesizer — a full-sized 49-key music
keyboard. Mattel claims this peripheral, which plugs in-
VIDEO GAMES 37
to the computer adaptor, has the same look, feel and
touch of a real organ keyboard. It is a six-note,
polyphonic synthesizer, which means it can play six
notes at once. The system isn't designed for the profes-
sional musician, although he or she probably could
have a ball with it. Like the ECS computer add-on, the
synthesizer is designed simply to teach all family
members to read music and to compose their own
melodies. Three new ECS programs, tentatively named
Astromusic, Melody Maker and Music Conductor, were
designed to help out the novice musician.
Astromusic is the musical version of the Astrosmash
video game and is designed to familiarize fumbling
fingers with the keyboard. Melody Maker helps the new
musician compose melodies (which can be stored on
cassette). And Music Conductor serves as a built-in
private music teacher. With or without the software,
when you play a note on the synthesizer, it appears on
the screen.
Again, Moscovitz stresses the synthesizer, similar to
peripherals, is designed to entertain. "There's a large
community of people out there who are as intimidated
about learning to play music as they are about using
computers," he says. This gets them involved painless-
ly and easily. The synthesizer will sell for around $80.
The music programs are $26 each.
Mattel plans a whole library of new ECS titles before
year-end to supplement the 12 new games described.
But for those Atari VCS game lovers, the company also
will offer a System Changer, to sell for $80. Along the
lines of expansion modules put out by other companies,
this device allows the Intellivision owner to play any
VCS-compatible cart on any Intellivision. To do this on
the Intellivision I, however, owners must take their
machine to an authorized Mattel service center for fac-
tory adjustments. There will be a service charge for
this.
The Intellivision I, in fact, is being phased out of pro-
duction and replaced by the Intellivision II, although
parts will continue to be available for the original master
component. Remember, these two machines are the
same except for their outward appearance — Mattel's
ECS peripherals and games fit both.
Mattel's target market, for all these innovations,
naturally, are those consumers who already own an In-
tellivision. Still, if you're picky about all your com-
ponents matching or are a consumer without a system
at all, Mattel wants to give you a price break. They've
put together a $250 package deal that includes the
new Intellivision II, the computer adaptor and keyboard.
This price may drop even further as market
conditions change.
About the time you've got all your new Intellivision II
peripherals together, Mattel will bring out its Intellivision
III, slated for a Christmas debut.
The III will be compatible with all the peripherals
mentioned previously, but also will be an advanced
game machine touted to surpass ColecoVision and
Atari's 5200 in graphics and game play. The high-tech
unit features LED (light emitting diode) readouts to in-
dicate sound level, on/off, proper cartrigde insertion and
pause mode.
According to Mattel spokespeople, Intellivision III will
offer built-in voice synthesis, high-resolution graphics
with intricate detail, infinite colors and life-like graphics,
as well as built-in voice allowing it to use specially pro-
grammed voice cartridges without the add-on In-
tellivoice. Six channels of sound effects and music can
be heard through a stereo system with built-in stereo
hook-up jacks.
The graphics and game play of Intellivision III are
achieved via the use of 320 X 192 lines of resolution.
The unit — unlike the ColecoVision, for instance, which
can choose from among 16 colors — features a nearly
infinite menu of programmable colors. Mattel also
claims the system features the ability to move objects
on the game screen twice as fast as other video game
systems and can show more moving objects on the
screen at the same time.
Remote battery-operated hand controllers, each con-
taining tactile feedback keys and a full-size joystick,
come with the unit, which is set to retail for less than
$300, probably around $200. New games in the sports,
space and adventure arenas are also planned in time
for the holiday season.
— Anne Krueger
From the Entertainment Computer System's BASIC Programming line: Game Maker and Mr. BASIC Meets "Bits 'N' Bytes.'
38 VIDEOGAMES
TH€ RTRRI 2600 K€VBOfiRD
fill in the Family
Under a veil of secrecy befitting Detroit car makers
or the Pentagon, last February Atari took what
many believed to be the next evolutionary step when
they announced "My First Computer." It is designed to
transform (in the company's words) the 2600 video
game player into a "powerful home computer." Less
than a month later, Atari decided that My First Com-
puter was too limiting a name, and instead began refer-
ring to it as the Atari 2600 Computer.
The change in the name aside, although the an-
nouncement may have seemed major to Atari, they
were the fourth (or fifth, depending who you take seri-
ously) company to announce the development of a key-
board addition to the 2600. Entex slated its
"Piggyback" (suggested retail around $125) for late
April; Spectravideo was preparing the CompuMate 2600
add-on (suggested retail around $90) also for this time,
while Emerson announced a keyboard unit at January's
Consumer Electronics Show. Emerson has since put a
halt to those plans. With the encroaching competition
and the obvious movement to expand basic game
system capabilities, it seemed only natural that the
company which invented the 2600 (or Video Computer
System, as it is formerly called) might give Atari a
definite edge in promoting its keyboard.
According to corporate sources, the 2600 Computer
is "targeted toward the novice computer community."
Therefore, you shouldn't expect it to take the place of
an Apple, or probably even come very close to an Atari
400 or 800 computer, yet. However, this may well
change in the coming months, if, for no other reason,
than the fact that the 2600 keyboard may be superior to
the 400 in some respects. It will feature rubber keys,
which provide tactile feedback (as opposed to the mem-
brane design of the 400). A disadvantage is that the
keys will probably be closer together (providing a non-
typewriter feel) in order to allow the keyboard addition
to sit directly atop the 2600.
Although the name has already been changed, don't
expect the emphasis on support to be much different
from what the original title suggests. The system has
been described as one which is "ideal for computer
VIDEOGAMES 39
11 . . .The
system hos
been described
os one which is
"ideal for com-
puter
novices.
Michael Moone, president of Atari's Consumer Electronics division, joins actress
Drew Barrymore in announcing the 2600 computer.
novices," while planned software will emphasize home
management, education and personal development.
There also will be a line of specially designed games
and, with expanded memory (8K RAM standard, expan-
dable to 32K) the system will be capable of providing
improved graphics and, probably, faster game play.
Because of this, as a game playing peripheral, the com-
puter add-on may well represent a worthwhile invest-
ment in its own right.
Initial releases will be in the form of cartridges, which
will load into the expansion port on the left side of the
device. This port has also been designed to accept up-
coming specially-designed peripheral devices, including
a modem, which would allow communication over the
telephone lines with other computers, possibly a low
cost printer, and maybe even a floppy disk or wafer data
recording device. In addition, there is a built-in interface
that facilitates the recording and playback of user-
written or specially-designed programs, data, and
games. But that's not all. Present plans would allow the
keyboard to interface with any cassette recorder having
an earphone or output jack to further expand its
capabilities.
There will be a built-in programming language, prob-
ably a modified version of Microsoft BASIC, which is
easily learned, and allows owners to begin pro-
gramming after a brief getting acquainted period. More
powerful programming languages (requiring increased
memory) will probably be offered for those wishing to
make even better use of the computer add-on.
The 2600 Computer is planned for release in the third
quarter of this year (but more realistically, look for it to
be available around Christmas), with the keyboard ex-
pected to retail for about $90.
—Mark Brownstein
40 VIDEOGAMES
€NT€X 2000 PIGGVBflCK
fidded Rttroction
nfter you've played your 50th VCS game and
scored your zillionth alien blast, the feeling of
satisfaction may just be replaced by a little emptiness.
Something's amiss. You don't remember when the
uneasiness began, but suddenly there's a sense that
you should be learning as well as playing games. And
it's nagging at your thoughts with each twist of the
joystick.
The scenario is one that Entex (303 West Artesia
Blvd.. Compton, Calif. 90220, 21 3-637-61 74) is banking
on happening in the coming months with the release of
a special add-on keyboard called the Entex 2000 Piggy-
back Computer. The system is squarely targeted at
millions of gamers poised on the threshold of the so-
called "learner's market" — all ripe and ready to set
foot into the wonderful world of real, honest-to-
goodness home computing.
"Our dual thinking in developing the Piggyback was
that we wanted to create a low-cost alternative for
game machine owners who weren't necessarily ready
to shop for a full-fledged system," explains Norman
Block, Entex vice president. "Secondly, we wanted to
find a way to make the machines themselves more
useful to their owners."
Entex's motives weren't entirely altruistic, of course.
The nearly 12 million Atari VCS owners in the U.S. alone
constitute a healthy chunk of potential business for the
company. Still, Entex has a reputation for judging the
market carefully and rather than "jump on the keyboard
bandwagon" it chose to bide its time, observing and
waiting for what they hope will be the golden opportunity.
During the wait, Entex engineers began drawing up a
list of possible specs for their embryonic unit. The
research team agreed the device had to be powerful
enough to rival other potential low-cost competitors, but
also expandable enough to offer users several more ap-
plications than other low-cost units, and thus yield more
"bang for the buck" and "performance value" as
VIDEOGAMES 4]
Design the best new MASH
something money can't buy.
Fame.
That's right. F-A-M-E.
Because ii the game you design
is good enough, we'll make it
and put your name on every one
we sell.
And remember, you don't have
to be a computer programmer to
come up with a great game. You
just have to have a great imagina-
tion, and give us a short description
of your idea.
IF FAME ISN'T ENOUGH,
HOW ABOUT A FORTUNE?
$25,000 to be exact. That's how
much the game contract will
bring you. Guaranteed. What's
more, we're giving away a whole
list of prizes for the other great
game ideas we get.
• Four First Prize AMC Jeeps®
• 400 Second Prize Texas Instru-
ments 99/4 A" Home Computers.
• 4000 free Fox Video Games.
EVERYBODY WINS.
Because the new M\A # S'H
game comes packaged with a
smashing M\A*S«H T-shirt.
Absolutely free.
HOW DO YOU GET STARTED?
Just buy the original M*A«S*H
game. The contest rules and entry
blanks are in every package.
And if you win, you might say
the rewards are monumental.
MASH
1
L^ MAS II J
1
&"~~
1
♦
iw
407713
Games of the Century
THE MASH CONTEST.
IT'S A SMASH.
marketeers are fond of saying. Communications
capability, program and data mass storage and a bun-
dle of memory to enable the first-timer limitless ex-
perimentation possibilities, it was decided, were definite
prerequisites.
The wait ended last January and the Piggyback has
emerged as a "gem in the marketplace," according to
Block. "We bowled them over at Toy Fair," he reveals,
referring to the number of orders generated by the
system's New York retail introduction last winter. True
to its promise, Entex delivered a system that is both
powerful and easy to use, as well as expandable.
At the center of the Piggyback's performance system
is an 8-bit Z-80A microprocessor — a very respectable
cpu for a starter unit. Coupled with this high-speed chip
is 8K of built-in ROM BASIC that also holds the video
and graphics display software: 128 characters and a 32
x 16 character display for comfortable viewing on a col-
or or black and white television set.
The 70-key keyboard includes nine special functions
(F1 through F9) and four cursor movement keys (left,
right, up, down) — a convenient feature not included on
many existing low-end machines. As for price, how
does under $129 sound? Quite attractive, believes
Helen Fleischer, Entex marketing manager.
"Why go out and buy a whole new system when you
can simply add on to your home game?" Fleisher says.
"We figured in pricing the Piggyback this low, people
would consider it a small investment for a big value."
It doesn't matter which game system tickles your
fancy — Entex sells a Piggyback converter for a mere $7
(probably less in certain stores) to fit the Atari 5200 and
Sears Super Arcade, as well as the Intellivision I and II.
The Piggyback doesn't require a converter to plug into
Atari's VCS, the Sears Telegame or the ColecoVision
and the new Coleco Gemini system when both of the
latter are used with ColecoVision Module #1 (the Atari
VCS adapter module).
All the talk of converters and adapters grows confus-
ing but Fleischer says if one just remembers the word
"flexibility" then you'll understand what Piggyback is all
about. "We mean to make the Piggyback available for
every game system in the market — maybe even some
we don't yet know about — and thus for every video
game user," she stresses.
Today's major limitation in low-cost computing is the
small amount of random access memory that can be
made available economically for programming. The
more internal memory, the more expensive the system.
To overcome this handicap, Entex offers optional 16K
RAM memory expansion cartridges which plug right
into the side of the Piggyback. Up to two memory ex-
pansion carts may be accepted by the system, thus
increasing the internal memory to 3K RAM (only 2K of
which is actually usuable because the other 1 K is
needed by the computer to control the video display) to
a generous 34K total.
Additionally, a peripheral expansion module with
room for cassette recorder interface, an RS-232 inter-
face for communications with a data base (or with
another Piggybacker!), and parallel I/O (for possible
44 VIDEO GAMES
future printer applications) is also available. A memory
expansion cartridge and peripheral expansion module
are priced at $69.95 each, again, the company expects
to see them discounted before long. Thus for a
minimum investment, the ambitious computerist can
write programs using up to 34K RAM and store his
creations on cassette tape.
"The cassette interface is provided especially for
people who wish to grow with our system," Fleischer
says. The company hasn't yet decided, though, whether
to supply a modem, printer, or a disk drive. In typical
Entex fashion, the manager comments, "We have to
consider additional peripherals carefully. Our prime
user would be someone who already owns a video
game system and is ready to take the first steps into
computing. Does this beginning user want to get knee-
deep into disk drive storage and telecommunications?
And if he does, does he want to do so through Entex or
will he want a more sophisticated personal computer?
We are weighing these and many other questions
before going ahead with new devices."
Entex, however, will provide stores with lists of third-
party manufacturers and their models of compatible
equipment that can be hooked up with a Piggyback. In
addition, the firm is also examining possible combina-
tion modem/data base subscription deals such as those
currently offered by The Source and CompuServe in
conjunction with Atari, Texas Instruments, Commodore
and others.
The Entex philosophy regarding Piggyback software
is "let Atari do the games. Piggyback is a learning com-
puter — we'll create the educational programs." The
first group of five or more instructional packages will be
available shortly, including BASIC Programming (in-
cluded with the Piggyback), Home Finance, Beginning
Math, Spelling and Algebra. Future releases including
Computer Typing, Speed Reading, Word Games, Sports
Statistics and Number Games. There's even more, with
several programming languages such as LOGO, under
development by Entex 's team of programmers and
educators/researchers.
"We generate an awful lot of material in-house,"
Fleischer notes. Software will be in cartridge form and
"competitively priced" the manager adds. And, of
course, junior programmers can easily create and store
their own learning packages on a cassette tape
recorder. Itself a third-party supplier, Entex knows of no
other companies that will act as additional Piggyback
software sources.
Starting next month, Entex will fill the television air-
ways with "learning is fun" and similar education-
slanted messages aimed at parents — the major pur-
chasers of the Piggyback. Traditionally a toy maker,
Entex has officially entered the computer "learner's
market," says Harold Frankel, director of marketing.
"What we are seeing now is the desire of many parents
to see their children be computer literate by the time
they reach high school, much in the same way they
used to buy encyclopedias in preparation for their
children's higher education. The Piggyback is the 'liv-
ing' equivalent of the encyclopedia." — Suzan D. Prince
Once More With Feeling
l
The chant starts low and builds, growing louder and
louder until it fairly rings in your ears: "The key-
board is the key! The keyboard is the key!" It's all
figurative, of course. No one at the Odyssey division of
North American Phillips Co. (1-40 and Straw Plains Pike,
Knoxville, Tenn. 37914, 615-521-4316) really goes around
repeating the mantra. But the company that put a key-
board on a home video game machine before it was
fashionable has, for the past decade, been telling
players in its advertisements and showing them through
its games that a keyboard can add not only interest and
challenge to an ordinary cartridge but a valuable skill to
the beginning computerist's repertoire as well.
The chant continues as Odyssey unleashes its third
generation machine — the Odyssey 3 Command Center.
This time around the slogan will be uttered more fer-
vently, for as clever as Odyssey 2 's design was, the flat,
sometimes awkward membrane keyboard and limited
internal memory made it a definite third runner behind
Atari's VCS and Mattel's Intellivision and then a fourth-
place finalist after Coleco hit the streets last fall.
Odyssey 3 — years in development — with its full type-
writer keyboard and expansion potential, presents a
rough and ready contender affirms Jerry Michaelson,
Odyssey vice president. "With more people aware of
home video games and exposed to them — the arcade
phenomenon, for example, has played a large role — we
felt it was time to stress Odyssey's more advanced
capabilities," he explains. "The marketplace is ready
for it."
What consumers will find in late summer, when the
new unit appears in stores, is a $199 console containing
16K ROM (read only memory), a vast improvement over
Odyssey 2 's mere 2K of brainpower. There will also be a
full QWERTY typewriter style keyboard, along with three
function (F1 , F2, F3) keys that will be more completely
utilized by owners at a later date when a variety of soft-
ware packages and peripherals appear for "serious"
VIDEOGAMES 45
programming, according to Michaelson. Unlike the soft
membrane experience, depressing the new keys elicits
a satisfying, springy "click," much like the tactile feed-
back from a fine calculator. For the present, however,
you'll only use these solid keys to start or reset the first
offering of games slated for late summer and fall
release.
Two self-storing joysticks are housed on top of the
unit (left and right), plugged into the console via a three-
foot telephone-type curly cord. Instead of the standard
button array, a "fire bar," (similar to the space bar on a
typewriter) extends the length of the stick. Pressing any-
where on the bar serves to fire a missile, jump, shoot or
whatever — another first in the joystick arena. These
sticks also permit better handling than the previous
Odyssey 2 versions. Unlike Atari, Coleco or Intellivision
joysticks, the new Odyssey controls are unhampered by
calculator keys or function buttons since these can be
preserved on the keyboard instead. The only item miss-
ing, really, is a pause feature.
If you want to get even fancier, however, Wico makes
a plug-in Command Control joystick pair compatible
with Odyssey 3 at $44.95, and a trackball at $69.95. To
our knowledge (and N.A.P. Co.'s) Wico is the only out-
" . . . The keyboard is the key—
the key to greater video game
challenge, interactivity and
programmability . . ."
side supplier of accessories and peripherals for the new
machine.
The main console has been streamlined considerably
to resemble (ever so slightly) the Atari 5200. Its com-
pactness is in response to Odyssey 2 users' complaints
that the old unit was too big and clumsy. Outerware not-
withstanding, the new system's insides will do justice to
what is being attempted. Herein lie circuits with
graphics capabilities the likes of which have never
before graced an Odyssey screen: more memory,
which means more room for color displays, object and
character generation — even animation. A more power-
ful cpu will permit fast program execution and easy-to-
use commands for self-programming.
"From 1972 to 1978, games of the dedicated chip
variety first sparked interest in the category among con-
sumers," Michaelson continues. "However, since 1978,
and the introduction of programmable game systems
such as Atari and Odyssey 2 , there has been a tremen-
dous and rapid market expansion. The last five years
have brought more and more recognition to the enter-
tainment value of home video games."
Thus, he explains, a new system had to be born.
"The new unit is in response to the evolution of game
46 VIDEOGAMES'
system technology and players' growing sophistication
and desire for computer functions," Michaelson
reveals.
In fulfilling such desires, the Command Center
features a rear port into which the machine's first add-
on, the Voice Module, can be plugged. This speech and
sound effects unit, containing a General Instruments-
developed speech circuit, differs from the one that fit on
the old Odyssey by the fact that this version simply
snaps into the back of the main unit. The newly de-
signed Voice Module is also smaller and less obtrusive
than the first and the need to play voice-enhanced cart-
ridges through the Voice no longer exists. Rather, the
console's center cartridge slot accepts all games and
program packs.
While the Voice will be available four weeks after the
introduction of Odyssey 3 at an as yet undisclosed price
(although a fair guess would be about $1 00, the same
as the old Voice, since the technology isn't substantially
different), a telephone modem will also appear. When
the telecommunications module, as it's called, is
plugged into the console's rear port, it turns the
Odyssey into a "dumb" terminal — and gives the user
unlimited access to the outside world from such data
bases as The Source, CompuServe and Dow Jones for
stock updates and business news. A price for the op-
tional telecommunications module also hasn't yet been
established, but there's some speculation that Odyssey
may go the route of many computer companies and of-
fer customers a communications package deal through
retailers. (For example, buy the module with accompa-
nying communications software and get one free hour
or one free hookup from The Source, CompuServe, etc.)
Odyssey's modem is manufactured by American
Bell; it's a model 103 with full duplex, 300 bits per
second (bps) transmission rate, that's directly connec-
table to your telephone and switchable for answer or
originate modes. Owners will use the keyboard to con-
trol communications options such as signing on to a
data base, send/receive for electronic mail and other
cryptic messages.
The third card in the N.A.P. deck is the plug-in com-
puter programming module, scheduled for release
around Christmas, which will form the foundation for
Odyssey 3 's advanced programming capabilities. The
programming module will provide the user with 16K
RAM (random access memory) — enough to write sim-
ple games, keep a budget, daily schedule or store short
memos, as well as much more. To serve any potentially
extensive programming needs, the company will offer
optional mass storage packs for data and program
retention, says Mike Staup, vice president and general
manager.
Licensing big names for game cartridge has never
meant very much to Odyssey. Because of the older
generation's severely limited graphics potential, it was
hardly worth the cost of obtaining a famous name
license, since the quality of game conversion could
barely live up to the title. N.A.P.'s in-house programming
team has had to content itself with drumming up
original concept games, mostly of an educational
nature — the genre that best showed off the old
system's simple features. The introduction of the
Odyssey 3 may substantially change the emphasis,
Staup reveals.
"Now that we have the improved graphic capability
of our Command Center game console, we'll get more
into arcade type games. We'll definitely be moving in
that direction." Although the company won't confirm it,
there's talk of an arcade hit being packed with the unit,
but even as rumors continue to fly, it's a sure thing that
Odyssey 3 programmers will take advantage of licenses
already acquired and produce newer versions than
those previously available. These include voice-
enhanced games based on the Ringling Brothers and
Barnum & Bailey Circus theme, the World's Greatest
Show trademark and the arcade game Turtles, by
Konami.
Altogether, there will be three groups of games
available for the Odyssey 3 :
• The entire library of Odyssey 2 games, now number-
ing more than 50. They won't be enhanced by the new
system, but at least Odyssey 2 owners won't be left with
a useless batch of obsolete cartridges.
• Selected Odyssey 2 games, which have been
modified and redesigned, such as Freedom Fighters, an
Asteroids/Defender-type game (and probably Odyssey's
best space game). In the new version, instead of a plain
black field, a colorful moon and a large red asteroid
float about the screen. Baseball has also been redone
to show dugout, bases, pitcher's mound and fans in the
grandstand. Pick Axe Pete, another remake, in which a
brilliant brick-like field now surrounds Pete;
Smithereens, in which the new background is reminis-
cent of ColecoVision's Smurf scenes depicting rolling
blue countrysides; and finally, Attack of the Timelord, in
which the earth, with a geographically correct map of
the U.S., gives you added movitvation to "Defend Your
World." These titles round out the revamped eye-
pleasers, although the graphics-enriched carts won't
appear the same visually when played on the older
system.
• Brand new games for the Command Center ex-
clusively. Here's where everything gets interesting. Ac-
cording to Rex Battenberg, Odyssey programmer, the
new cartridges will contain and utilize a full 32K of
ROM — just like many ColecoVision cartridges, which
should give an idea of the potential graphics content
and quality to come.
"By increasing the ROM, we can do a great deal of
little game-enhancing surprises," Battenberg says,
"such as completely filling a background which former-
ly would have been bare due to lack of memory. We
can also make objects move around in the background
where before they would have just sat there, if indeed
existed at all." Best of all, the designer notes, there will
be two-screen games such as those made popular by
Starpath and other VCS suppliers.
Flashpoint is one of the two-screen games set for
pre-holiday release. Players maneuver a tank from a
position high above a city (you're actually floating above
it) through the streets in order to monitor six or seven
small squares scattered throughout the metropolis.
Each flashes on and off threateningly, and the "flash
point" occurs within 10 seconds — if you don't reach it,
with that section of the city reduced to rubble. Reach it
and you're transported to the next, entirely new screen,
where you see little marching aliens coming at you from
all directions. If you're fast enough to destroy them as
they approach, your score will mount in proportion to
how much of the field they haven't trampled. Live or
die, it's back to the city to find another flash point and
vanquish more aliens.
Inspired by the arcade heavyweight Robotron, Bat-
tenberg 's goal in creating Flashpoint was to "utilize as
many of the new Odyssey 3 features as
possible" — essentially to showcase the system. The
background, for example, becomes a bright blue maze
once a player has reached a flash point. Then there's
the two-screen concept that Battenberg intends to carry
out in future games. Flashpoint is also Odyssey 3 's first
one-player, two-joystick cartridge. "It adds challenge,"
the designer says, with a hint of understatement.
Another new game is called the Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes. Still under development, this adven-
ture game features Moriarity, who informs you that he is
"... We felt it was time to
stress Odyssey's more
advanced capabilities. The
marketplace is ready for it . .
about to commit a crime and you must discover the
clues that lead to his capture. The company is being
very close-mouthed about the four remaining debut
games but, in general, given Odyssey's educational
bent, you can expect cartridges in that genre as well as
more arcade titles and, eventually, all manner of pro-
grams to encourage the beginning home computerist.
Additionally, Imagic's immensely popular Demon At-
tack will be made compatible for the system, and the
software company, currently the only outside Odyssey
supplier, says more Imagic challengers are on the way.
N.A.P. hopes Odyssey 3 will make its way into the
homes and hearts of users as an entertainment console
that's smart enough to perform computer functions as
well as play challenging games.
"Odyssey 3 is intended as a system that can serve as
a basic game terminals, but with capabilities to give it a
high degree of importance to parents who don't want
their child to be left behind in the computer age,"
Michaelson states, adding, "our advertising will ease
youngsters and their parents into the newer system by
continuing to emphasize 'the keyboard is the key' — the
key to greater video game challenge, interactivity and
programmability." — Suzan D. Prince
VIDEOGAMES 47
COL6COVISIONS K€VBOflRD CO/V\PUT€R
Making the Grade
€ver since Coleco's announcement of the Coleco-
Vision home game system, the suggestion that a
computer upgrade would be available hasn't been far
behind. Indeed, this may be one of the reasons many
people bought the system in the first place — the idea of
a quality home game unit that could evolve into a high-
powered computer is certainly a promising one.
Coleco continues to seduce the public, and advanced
information about the computer system at this stage
reveals that it will be a "high powered home computer
with all the peripherals required to use it. It will be a full-
functioning all-in-one unit." The user "won't need to
purchase other equipment. It will be supported by a
tremendous software package."
In spite of attempts to keep an extremely tight lid on
information before this month's announcement at the
Consumer Electronics Show, we have been able to
make a number of educated guesses about the module
based on the internal structure of the ColecoVision
(which defines what a keyboard would be allowed to do
and also defines display characteristics), subsequent
expansion module announcements, and what has
already been announced.
First, and most obvious, the keyboard will attach by
means of the expansion port at the front of the unit, or
the front of Expansion Module #3, the so-called
Supergame Module. In addition to the keyboard, expect
built-in BASIC (or modified ColecoBasic) programming
language, a thermal or impact printer, and a built-in
record/playback unit.
The display will consist of a 40 character per line, 24
line, two-color display. The system will make use of the
ColecoVision 's internal 16K RAM, and will have an addi-
tional 8 to 16K RAM (of which 4-7K will be tied up for
BASIC programming language). The keyboard will sit
atop the unit and will provide access to the on/off
switch on the console.
Coleco has announced that it will provide extensive
software support for its computer system, so don't be
surprised to see a preliminary start-up software
package included with the unit. (Its release of Donkey
Kong with the ColecoVision, Turbo with Expansion
Module II, Slither with Roller Controller, and two games
with Expansion Module #3 establishes a precedent that
Coleco will carry through on its $175-200 keyboard).
Expansion Module #3 is a major part of this system,
although Coleco is noncommittal about its capacities as
anything other than a game-playing device. The expan-
sion module consists of a 128K microwafer loaded
system capable of both playback of prerecorded data
(the game-or-program-loading feature) and recording of
generated data Microwafers are an inexpensive
(around $3.00) method for rapid storage and retrieval of
upto128Kof data.
In addition to the capacity to record and play back
data, the module also carries 16K RAM. Added to the
16K already built into the ColecoVision, and the pro-
bable 16K built into the keyboard, the three-piece
system will provide 48K, of which about 42K will be
usable memory. Since Coleco has announced a system
with all the peripherals needed to operate the unit, it is
questionable as to whether Coleco will go to the ex-
pense of providing an additional recording device that
will see little actual use.
Look for the keyboard unit to carry over the basic
black with silver accents, to be well-made and well-
engineered, and to have a somewhat boxy appearance.
Our guess is that it will be well supported, initially by
Coleco, and in short order by third-party programmers.
Coleco's choice of microprocessors to run the Coleco-
Vision (Z-80A) makes machine language programming
for this unit accessible to many Z-80 programmers of
other computers (including the Radio Shack TRS-80).
— Mark Brownstein
48 VIDEOGAMES
COl€COS SUP€RGflM€ MODUl€ 3
fi Slice of life
The Entrepo Micro Drive
Entrepo's Micro Transport
Coleco announced its SuperGame Module (Module
#3) at the February Toy Fair. This device is capable
of playing back over 128K of memory (or enough data
for up to 100 game screens). Unlike the typical game
cartridges, the new Supergames come on a device
called a Microwafer; a thin endless-loop tape cartridge,
about the size of a business card (1.6" x 2.7" x 0.2").
You can think of it as something like a midget 8-track
tape cartridge, since the tape only moves in one direc-
tion, with the beginning and end spliced together.
The device used to record onto and play back the
microwafers is called a microdrive, which is designed
to operate up to 20 times faster than an audio cassette
drive, while allowing much more rapid loading and
unloading of programs.
A little about the manufacturers. The microdrive
system was developed by a firm called Exatron, which
previously created the system for mail order sales to
owners of the Radio Shack TRS-80 as an inexpensive
storage device that was superior to cassette tapes and
less expensive than floppy disk drives. The drives were
also sold as peripherals for memory typewriters, and
recently were added as storage devices for the VIC-20
and Commodore 64 computers.
Last February the Exatron Corporation changed its
name to Entrepo (meaning "a storage place") to reflect
its emphasis on data storage and announced that it
would be moving manufacturing facilities to the Far
East with the expectation of producing 250,000
microdrives and 2.5 million microwafers a month.
The philosophy behind the microwafer is simple: the
personal computer market is rapidly expanding. Data
storage is an important aspect of any computer system.
Before the microwafer, there were two storage alter-
natives: disks and cassette tapes, but both had their
problems. The disk storage was rapid, relatively error
free, and also expensive. Why should a person who
pays $150 for a VIC-20 have to pay $300 to 500 for a
disk drive? Cassette tapes are an imperfect medium for
data storage. They're certainly less expensive than disk
drives, but are slower and prone to more errors. The
microdrive is a middle-range alternative. Running in the
$125 price range, it's capable of recording up to 128K
(equivalent to many disks), and is faster and more accu-
rate than cassette tapes.
Coleco and Texas Instruments have both contracted
to use the microdrives. In the case of Coleco, the drive
is manufactured for the company and built into its Ex-
pansion Module #3 Supergame module. Certainly the
capabilities to record and play back, plus the 16K RAM
memory built into the module, strongly suggest the
microdrive's use as primary data device for Coleco's
new add-on keyboard for the ColecoVision. There are
no provisions for duplicating programs from the module
onto other devices, so proprietary games, and so forth
will be relatively safe from piracy.
Texas Instruments announced its wafertape drive
(suggested retail: $139.95), designed for use with the
company's Tl 99/2 and line of personal computers.
Though it's not immediately compatible with the 99/4A,
the company offers a Hexbus converter for about $60
The microdrive system (also known as stringy-floppy)
fills an apparent vacuum between cassettes and floppy
disks . Undoubtedly we haven't heard the last of
microdrives and the wafers.
— Mark Brownstein
VIDEOGAMES 49
fiSTROCRD€
One More Time
The year is 1976 and Atari is busily developing what
will soon be known as the Video Computer System.
It is designed to accept cartridges which push into the
top of the unit and allow individuals to play games on a
regular television set. With about 600 bytes of storage
capacity, the unit will be enormously successful.
Meanwhile, across the country, Jeff Fredrickson, of
Dave Nutting & Associates, the design wing of
Bally/Midway, is busily developing its own home game
system that will be known as the Bally Professional Ar-
cade. It will be designed to accept cartridges that load
similarly to a cassette tape (and even look like them),
while allowing owners to play games on a regular tele-
vision set. It has at least six times as much game
storage capacity as the Atari VCS, but won't be the suc-
cess it should have been.
By now, everyone knows something about the VCS.
With estimates of about 1 2 million units out there, and
seemingly non-stop television commercials for compati-
ble cartridges, it has touched every game player's life.
The Bally unit, on the other hand, has sold, perhaps,
50 VIDEOGAMES
120,000 units, has had limited television advertising (a
short campaign last year under its new name and
ownership, Astrocade), until recently no third-party soft-
ware developers, and remains one of the better-kept
secrets in the history of home video game systems.
Bally's plan was to introduce a BASIC programming
cartridge which would allow the user to write his own
programs, games and learning activities, as well as
some limited home management monitoring. The cart-
ridge was introduced about a year after the release of
the master unit when a cassette interface, permitting
the recording of programs and playback through the
computer, was also introduced.
Bally's planned third step would have satisfied those
users frustrated with the limited capacity of the original
unit and BASIC programming cartridge. A keyboard
computer, dubbed "Z-grass" (for the graphics oriented,
user-friendly operating system) was announced with the
introduction, in 1977, of the Bally Professional Arcade.
This computer was scheduled to have 64K RAM, 32K
internal ROM, a full-sized keyboard, broadcast quality
video, dual audio cassette jacks with motor control,
RS-232 Input/Output interface and CPM compatibility.
The Z-Grass 1 00 (a later iteration of the original design)
was designed to be a full, state-of-the-art computer. So
what happened?
Well, to fully understand the answer, it's important to
trace the history of the arcade system. Although initial
orders were taken in September 1977, Bally wasn't
ready to fulfill its orders for a few months. Those units
were, on the whole, defective, with heat-sink problems
being the major difficulty. A user would buy the unit,
take it home, turn it on, and it would overheat, frying
some of the sensitive components. The system would
then have to be returned to the dealer and many of
those first sales ended up being non-sales, with the
defective units returned for refund, rather than being
replaced by working units. It took some owners six or
seven "trade-ins" before getting one that was reliable.
This was enough to discourage most potential pur-
chasers, and marked the system from the beginning.
With overall corporate attention focused on other
growth areas and business activities, Nutting's design
group was involved in perfecting the design of the
Z-grass computer add-under. According to Nutting, this
went through "at least 12" revisions, and when he was
finally satisfied that an acceptable unit had been
developed, Bally management decided to abandon the
endeavor, principally because of quality problems, and
the resulting slow sales.
Astrovision (which changed its name to Astrocade)
entered the picture, purchasing the license to manu-
facture, market, and develop new hardware and soft-
ware for the Bally Professional Arcade. Astrovision also
apparently purchased all units and components still at
Bally. The Nutting design group and Action Graphics,
which was then a wing of Nutting, would provide soft-
ware and engineering support to Astrocade but, in the
words of Nutting, "no money."
Until Astrocade finally began releasing new software
in late 1981, there had been no cartridges available for
approximately two years Lack of product would have
doomed most systems (as it had Fairchild's Channel F),
but not the Professional Arcade. And, in 1977, the unit
was touted as an expandable home computer. Pro-
moting it this way succeeded in attracting buyers who,
for the most part, desired to get into computer program-
ming (the VCS buyers were mostly interested in playing
games), thus keeping the system alive.
Robert Fabris, publisher/editor of The Arcadian, a
newsletter which publishes programs and information
about the system, began his publication in 1978. He has
been one of the major forces keeping it going since that
time. His publication, meanwhile, has served as a link
between the owners of the unit, and has also been a
major provider of information by both Bally and Astro-
cade. It was through this publication that many of the
third-party programmers have sold their cassette-tape
loaded programs for the system. However, Astrocade
never reached its anticipated goals, releasing only a
few cartridges, abandoning plans for a keyboard, and
finally declaring bankruptcy last year.
The first computer add-on was introduced in June
1980. Called the Blue-RAM ($180 assembled, $140 kit) it
was designed by John Perkins, of Perkins Engineering.
The unit provided 4096 bytes of memory, which could
be designated either RAM or ROM by moving a switch,
128 bytes non-protectable ROM, and allowed games to
be transferred to Blue-RAM and recorded onto tape.
Also available was an 8K extended BASIC cartridge
($49.95), for more complicated programming, and
simplified graphic design and game development. Per-
kins Engineering also offered a 62-key keyboard
($89.95) which simplified the entry of programs into the
system, a specially designed modem/printer interface
($99.95), a Blue-RAM operating system ($9.95, which
allowed development of longer programs), and a BSR
controller ($19.95), providing the Professional Arcade
with the capability to control up to 16 lights or appli-
ances in the home.
Perkins Engineering now also offers a 16K system
($275 including 8K Extended BASIC), a kit for con-
verting the 4K Blue-RAM to 16K, and a 32K Blue-RAM
($395 including extended BASIC). Both units take about
three weeks to prepare before shipping.
In April 1981, Alternative Engineering introduced its
Viper (Video Image Processing Equipment Research)
System 1 , a 16K memory expansion for the Bally
Professional Arcade. The $275 unit included an 8K ex-
tended BASIC language tape, with special graphics
routines and other features which facilitated program-
ming. Available at extra cost was a keyboard ($1 75),
and a 16K RAM card ($150). Expansion cables, multi-
bus adapters, an EPROM programmer card, and an
RS-232 interface card were also announced. In addition
to these two manufacturers, other users developed light
pens (to allow drawing on your TV screen, printers,
other keyboard/memory expansions, and machine-
language programming utilities (to program faster video
games).
While the Blue-RAM and extended memory Blue-
RAMS are still available, Alternative Engineering may
stop production of the VIPER, for a very good
reason — they have licensed the Z-grass operating
system for use in an add-on keyboard computer.
Sources at Alternative Engineering indicate that a unit
has been designed to the basic specifications of the un-
released Z-Grass 100: 64K RAM, 32K ROM, and a 4K
screen interface. The unit will have a full-sized key-
board, two cassette recorder interfaces with motor con-
trol, RS-232 ports, CP-M compatibility, and voice. The
name for the device hasn't yet been decided and a
cabinet design hasn't been finalized.
Marketing of the unit will be through Esoterica
Limited, an Ohio-based producer of arcade software,
with an already well-established distribution network.
The company, which began by providing cassette tape-
loading programs, has recently made available the first
independently-produced game cartridge for the Profes-
sional Arcade. Future plans call for the computer to be
released throughout the distribution network, with units
hopefully on the store shelves when you read this.
— Mark Brownstein
VIDEOGAMES 51
td ffi \ ffl I
%u
The VIC-20: A Programmer's Perspective
By Mark Andrews
The Commodore VIC-20 is the big-
gest little computer on the market.
It weighs just about three pounds — only
slightly more than the Manhattan tele-
phone directory. But when it comes to
computing power, it is certainly no
lightweight.
The VIC-20 is so simple to operate
— and comes with such an easy-to-
understand instruction manual — that
almost anyone can sit down and start us-
ing it without any training. And, believe
it or not, it can also present quite a
challenge to the expert programmer.
The heart of the VIC-20 is a 6502
microprocessor chip— the same chip us-
ed in Apple and Atari computers and
the Commodore 64. The VIC comes
52 VIDEO GAMES
with built-in Microsoft BASIC; two dif-
ferent varieties of enhanced BASIC are
also available. The VIC can also be pro-
grammed in machine language. And the
many special features of the VIC's
keyboard, screen display and operating
system make it an unusually easy com-
puter to program in all of the languages
that it understands.
The VIC Keyboard
For a computer of its size and price,
the VIC-20 has an exceptionally ver-
satile, comfortable, fast-action
keyboard. It features movable keys,
not a flat membrane keyboard like the
Atari 400 or the Timex-Sinclair 1000.
And it has concave typewriter-type keys,
not the little, flat-topped, "Chiclet-
style" ones that you may have seen on
other small computers which, though
lovely to look at, can make touch-typing
a programmer's nightmare. And, al-
most every key on the VIC is exactly
where you would expect to find it.
The VIC has 66 keys, including four
user-programmable keys — a rare
feature on a computer in the VIC's price
range. Its keyboard can produce upper-
and lower-case letters and a wide variety
of graphics characters, each labelled on
the front side of the key which accesses it
in the graphics mode.
Up to eight different colors can be
displayed on the screen simultaneously,
and the colors of the text and characters
can be changed with a single
keystroke— no programming needed.
On almost every other color computer
on the market, some programming is re-
quired for on-screen color changes.
The VIC keyboard does have a few
shortcomings, though. Its cursor move-
ment keys, for example, take a little get-
ting used to. One key moves the screen
cursor either left or right, and another
moves it up or down, depending on
whether the shift key is pressed. The
keyboard could have been greatly im-
proved if it had been designed with four
cursor keys — one for each direction. In
all fairness, however, there are many
personal computers, such as the Atari
800, with less satisfactory cursor-key ar-
rangements than that of the VIC-20.
Another drawback is that the VIC
lacks any key for inserting or deleting
full lines of text, and a method for
deleting the character directly
underneath the screen cursor. These are
also minor faults, but together they tend
to make life a little more difficult than
necessary for programmers who were
not brought up on the VIC-20.
Actually, it's probably a bit unfair to
criticize this keyboard at all, considering
the alternatives that other computers in
its class offer. Despite its shortcomings,
this is one of the best home computer
keyboards designed to date — for touch-
typists, as well as hunt-and-peck pro-
grammers.
The VIC Screen Display
Less ideal, as its designers have
been known to admit, is the VIC's screen
display. In text mode, only 22 characters
can be typed across the width of a televi-
sion screen. In comparison, Atari com-
puters have a 40-character screen width,
Radio Shack's Color Computer has 32
and most business computers generate
an 80-character screen.
While the 22-column display may be
easy to read, it limits the number of
characters that can be shown on the
screen at one time to 506 (22 columns
across by 23 rows down), so writing and
debugging a long program can become a
difficult job, involving a lot of scrolling
from one part of the program to
another. All of that electronic page-
turning can make word processing a
frustrating task. There are a couple of
ways to improve this situation. One is
quite expensive; the other requires con-
siderable programming knowledge.
The costly way is to buy a plug-in car-
tridge that expands screen display to 40
or 80 columns. Data 20 Corp., Laguna
Hills, Calif., and Quantum Data, Inc.,
Costa Mesa, Calif., have versions that
include 16K memory ($300-320). To use
the 80-column option, however, re-
quires a high resolution video monitor,
along with some special interfacing cir-
cuitry. The cost of all of this equipment
can easily total more than $1,000.
The VIC's text display can also be ex-
panded by using memory expansion car-
tridges (to hold the extra screen memory
you'll be adding), and then rewriting the
computer's display and screen editor
routines. But if you can program well
enough to do that, you're not a typical
VIC-20 owner.
RAM, ROM and Other Features
Random access memory (RAM) is
memory space in a computer that is left
empty by the machine's designers so
that the user can fill it up with data and
program instructions. As it comes out of
the box the VIC has just 5K (5,000-plus
typed characters) of random access
memory. That's enough RAM to hold
short, relatively simple programs — but
not enough to write and run long, com-
plex programs and games.
Fortunately, it's easy to expand the
VIC's memory. By adding 8K and 16K
expansion cartridges in various con-
figurations, a VIC owner can easily in-
crease the machine's RAM to as much as
32K. That's the same amount of
memory that can be crammed into a
Radio Shack Color Computer or a
Texas Instruments 99/4A— both of
which cost more than a VIC-20. But it's
16K less than the capacity of an Atari
800, and 32K less than that of Atari
1200XL and Commodore 64.
As important as RAM is, it's equally
important for a computer to have a well-
designed read-only memory (ROM)
package. ROM is where a computer's
brain power really lies; all of the perma-
nent, preprogrammed instructions that
tell the computer how to carry out user-
written programs are stored in ROM.
And the VIC-20 has an absolutely first-
rate ROM package.
VIC BASIC, a slightly expanded ver-
sion of Microsoft BASIC, is built right
into the VIC's ROM: just turn on the
computer, and you can start BASIC
programming immediately.
VIC BASIC is almost identical to the
dialects of the Microsoft BASIC used in
the Commodore PET and the com-
puters in Radio Shack's TRS-80 line.
VIC BASIC differs considerably,
however, from the non-standard BASIC
dialects used by some other computer
manufacturers, such as Apple and
Atari.
One of the most useful features of
VIC BASIC is the way it handles text.
Here, words and phrases can be
subscripted — in other words, defined as
variables and then stored in lists called
arrays. Then these subscripted
variables — text strings, to use computer
jargon— can be manipulated in pro-
grams almost as easily as if they were
numbers. In some other dialects of
BASIC— Atari BASIC, for ex-
ample—the subscripting of strings is not
possible.
Another special feature of VIC
BASIC is a "SAVE" command that
allows file names to be assigned to pro-
grams stored on cassettes. (Programs
stored on disks can be given names in
any dialect of BASIC.) In Atari and Ap-
ple BASIC, programs recorded on
cassettes cannot be given names; they are
simply recorded one right after the
other, and must be located using the
counter on a tape recorder. That's a
sloppy way to keep track of a program,
and it can make it difficult to find saved
programs.
Another useful command in VIC
BASIC is "DEF FN," which means
"define function." This command
allows complicated mathematical for-
mulas to be written out just once and
then used in programs as many times as
VIDEOGAMES 53
desired. "DEF FN" is also used in Ap-
plesoft BASIC, but not in Atari BASIC,
or Radio Shack's Color Computer
unless an optional (and expensive) Ex-
tended Color Basic package is installed.
One exclusive feature of VIC BASIC
is a "TI$" (time string) function, which
can be set by the programmer and con-
sulted at any time thereafter to find out
how much time has elapsed— in hours,
minutes and seconds — since the timer
was turned on. The TI$ function can be
used to put a constantly running clock
on a computer screen, or as a countdown
timer in user-interactive programs such
as games.
VIC BASIC also has an exclusive
"VERIFY" command that can be used
to check whether a program has been
saved correctly on a disk or a cassette.
This is an extremely useful command; it
can rescue programs that might other-
wise be destroyed.
VIC BASIC, like most BASlCs, has a
vocabulary of about 60 words. But its
capabilities can be expanded con-
siderably with two packages of-
fered by Commodore, each of which in-
cludes a plug-in program cartridge and
instruction manual. The Super Ex-
pander, $69.95, contains a set of special
BASIC commands — including PAINT,
DRAW, CIRCLE, COLOR and
SOUND — that can be used to create
music, special text modes and high-
resolution graphics. The Programmer's
Aid, $59.95, lets the user change the
assignment of the function keys — to a
BASIC command, number, graphics,
text — any information up to 10
characters long. Super Expander also in-
cludes more than 20 BASIC commands
which streamline the writing, editing and
debugging of programs.
There's also a VIC software package
designed for assembly language pro-
grammers. Called the VICMON
($59.95) it includes a machine language
assembler and dissembler, as well as a
machine language monitor. Unfor-
tunately, the VICMON is a rather
rudimentary machine language
assembler. For some reason— probably
because of the memory limitations of a
basic 5K VIC-20— the VICMON
doesn't allow the programmer to use
variables in programs or labels to iden-
tify subroutines. And there is no provi-
sion for inserting explanatory remarks in
a program.
The VICMON is fine for writing short
machine language routines that are
designed to be called up from BASIC
programs. But because of its limitations,
it would be almost impossible to write a
long, complicated machine language
program using the VICMON. In fact it's
actually easier to write assembly
language programs for the VIC on other
6502-based computers — such as those
from Apple and Atari — than it is to
write them on a VIC. The situation will
undoubtedly remain as such until a bet-
ter machine language assembler for the
VIC-20 comes along.
If the VICMON's faults sound like
bad news, there's also some good news
about the VIC-20 for assembly language
programmers. An exclusive and very
powerful programming aid, called a
Kernal, is built into the VIC's operating
system. The Kernal takes up a full 8K of
memory space but is well worth it to the
assembly language programmer.
The VIC Kernal is essentially a jump
table that contains the addresses, or
locations, of many of the VIC's most
important built-in subroutines. By using
the Kernal, a machine language pro-
grammer can make the VIC-20 do vir-
tually anything it is capable of doing, by
simply instructing it to jump to an ad-
dress contained in the Kernal. Com-
modore has guaranteed that as the VIC's
operating system is updated, the Kernal
table will be changed to match. That
means that machine language programs
written using the Kernal table arc
guaranteed to work on future versions
of the VIC.
The Kernal can simplify machine
language tremendously. In a sense, in
fact, it is almost a full-fledged program-
ming language itself. There is no reason
why a skillful assembly language pro-
grammer, armed with a good assembler,
could not use the VIC Kernal to write
programs almost as quickly and easily as
they can be written in BASIC. And the
Kernal concept has an important side
benefit, too: since it uses subroutines
that are already in the VIC's ROM, it
saves the memory space — as well as the
time — that it would require to rewrite
them.
Programs Thai Teach Programming
Experienced programmers can plunge
right into the world of VIC program-
ming by reading the VIC-20 Pro-
grammer's Reference Guide ($16.95).
For VIC users who want to learn pro-
gramming, or improve programming
skills, several prepackaged programs
are designed to do just that. For young
programmers, there's a new software
package called "Gortek and the
Microchips." It includes two program
cassettes and a comic book which com-
bines a space adventure story with
instructions in BASIC programming.
For adults, there's a programming
series called "An Introduction to
BASIC" (Parts I and II). Each package
in this series contains two cassette tapes
and a workbook over 150 pages long.
Together, the two packages contain just
about everything a BASIC programmer
needs to know, from how to use a com-
puter keyboard to such sophisticated
topics as string manipulations, search-
ing and sorting, animated graphics,
sound generation and creating games.
Conclusion
Commodore says that the VIC-20 is a
"user-friendly" computer, and that the
manuals and teaching kits designed for it
are user- friendly, too. This is not an
empty claim. All of the VIC instruction
manuals published by Commodore are
well-written, beautifully printed and
easy to understand. They neither talk
down to readers nor baffle them with in-
comprehensible jargon. There are plenty
of examples and illustrations to help get
important points across; the program
tapes that come in the training kits for
VIC owners are excellent, too.
The taped lessons include many useful
and interesting demonstrations of the
VIC's capabilities, as well as a host of
cleverly designed quizzes that requires
the user to input answers from the
keyboard. There are programs on the
cassettes that demonstrate good and
poor programming techniques. There
are even programs that contain inten-
tional errors that must be debugged
before they will work properly.
Add up all of this, and what you have
is one of the most amazing small com-
puter systems ever designed. The VIC-20
has a terrific keyboard, up to 32K of
RAM, built-in Microsoft BASIC,
superb color graphics and an ultra-
sophisticated built-in music and sound
synthesizer. And it now retails for less
than $200.
Because of these features and factors,
says Commodore, more than a million
customers have now- bought VIC-20
computers. Small wonder. ▲
54 VIDEOGAMES
VIDEO
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v
J]
GAMES
Part 2
By Noah Greenberg
m
SKETBALL
.HOCKEY
.BOXING-BOWUNG
•TENNIS
• SKIING
Last month we began our This time around we wrap up
salute to the wide world our special section on athletical-
of sports and focused on ly inspired efforts with a variety
the home cart action for of games guaranteed to give your
baseball, football and soccer. playing days a sporting chance.
ENNIS
ACTIVISION TENNIS
If you think that a video game based on
tennis can be nothing more than a heavi-
ly ornamented pong game, you're in for
a surprise. Activision Tennis is one of the
most cleverly designed and entertaining
games in the video world.
As in all Activision games, you can
play against an opponent or the com-
puter. Your vantage point is the same as
on TV, which is above and behind the
baseline of one of the players. The
figures are well-drawn, racquet-wield-
ing, joystick-controlled men. They're
terrifically mobile and can move all over
their side of the court, charging the net
or whacking from the baseline. You use
the red button only for serving. During
play, whenever a player makes contact
with a ball, the racquet will automatical-
ly return it across the net. Making shots
is difficult, and you never really know
exactly where your ball will go, but as
long as you make contact , the ball will be
returned in fair territory.
There are four game variations that
can be used with the computer or against
an opponent; they involve playing either
at regular speed or slow motion. The a
and b settings determine the angle of the
shots; the a position has less angle than
the b, making it tougher to return
winners.
The game has well-drawn graphics,
56 VIDEOGAMES
but their color and attention to detail are
limited. The only lines are those of the
court perimeter, and the field is one
shade of green with a simple white net at
center. The players are either blue or
pink. The white ball, however, casts a
realistic shadow and makes a convincing
thud when it meets the racquet. Scoring
is just like it is in real tennis, and one set
ends the match. Directing the angle of
the shot is tough: It's best to try to meet
the ball. But do rush the net whenever
possible, and try to get the ball where
your opponent isn't.
INTELLIVISION
TENNIS
Intellivision Tennis is an even more
realistic simulation of the game, in-
cluding many details missing from the
Activision game, such as crowds cheer-
ing and lines on the court. The vantage
point is different: Here, you see every-
thing from center court.
This is a difficult game to master,
because, here, nothing is taken for
granted. You must position your man
with the disk and swing by pressing the
side buttons. You're given a choice of
hard and soft swings; the bottom action
buttons determine where your serve
will land on your opponent's side of the
court. And, unlike the Activision game,
this is solely for two players.
Begin on the slow levels and swing
softly. After you get the hang of the
game, you can then employ strategy and
pace your shots. In the beginning, just
returning the ball in this complex game is
a major accomplishment. But, as you
adjust, you can place your shots by tim-
ing your swings. Late swings will send
the ball to your player's right; early ones
to the left; and, if you hit the ball on
time, it will go straight.
As in the Activision version, you
employ actual tennis techniques. Rush
the net and hit the ball far from where
your opponent is waiting.
True, this is a complicated tennis
simulation, but it's truly an amazing
video representation of the sport and
well worth the time and effort needed for
proficiency.
SKIING
ACTIVISION
SKIING
Activision Skiing is one of the best cart-
ridges ever made for the Atari VCS, with
graphics comparable to Intellivision
U.S. Ski Team Skiing and, along with
the less complex and more responsive
Atari joystickes, a game that comes very
close to emulating the joy of actually be-
ing out there on the slopes.
The game gives you a choice between
a downhill course, where you must ne-
gotiate the run's natural obstacles (trees
and moguls) as quickly as possible to
reach the bottom, or a slolem course,
where you have to traverse a series of
gates. There are 10 different game selec-
tions here: five slolem, each increasing in
difficulty, and five downhill, doing
likewise.
The idea, of course, in both slalom
and downhill is to make it down the
course as quickly as possible. Each time
you hit an obstacle or gate, the skier falls
and you lose time. The time is noted at
the top of the screen, along with the
meters left to cover. The a and b difficul-
ty switches are utilized in the downhill
course. On 0, you must jump moguls by
pressing the red button and timing your
jumps; on b you jump automatically. As
in real skiing, speed depends upon how
far downhill your skis are pointing, but
it's best to temper speed with accuracy
for your best limes.
This is a marvelous game, which gives
the joystick skier everything encoun-
tered in real skiing except the cold, lift
lines and thrill of risking life and limb.
INTELLIVISION U.S. SKI
TEAM SKIING
Intellivision U.S. Ski Team Skiing also
gives the armchair hotdogger a terrific
video representation of the sport. It pro-
vides components not found in the Acti-
vision game; you can chose how steep
the course will be plus another button
lets you turn tighter. You can ski against
as many as six other skiers here, and you
receive the cheers of adoring fans when
you finish a run.
The object of this game is to finish the
downhill or slalom course within the
shortest time. In this game, both courses
have gates to pass through but, in the
slalom, the gates are closer together. You
also get three heats in which to record
your best time. At the end of each heat,
the clock at the bottom displays your
time.
You control the skier with the disk,
but you also have a jump button for
moguls and an edge button for tighter
turns. Speed and fluidity of motion are
the keys to good times. Try to get your
skier's ski tips pointing as far downhill as
you can without losing control. Make
your turns smoothly by familiarizing
yourself with the course, using a light
touch on the disk. Time your jumps
carefully and make every gate, because
you lose five seconds for each one you
miss.
This game employs excellent video re-
presentations of white mountains, blue
skies, colored gates and a realistic finish
line. The sound effects, too, are superb.
You can hear the swoosh of the skis as
you traverse the course along with the
thud of a fall and crack of collision with
a tree. The disk controller takes some
getting used to, but it is only as good as
you are in the final analysis.
BOWLING
INTELLIVISION
BOWLING
With this effort, bowling fans are going
to strike it rich since Mattel has spared
no details in bringing some faithful ac-
tion to the television screen. Offering a
split image of the pins at top, along with
a frame-by-frame score, there's a side
view of the bowler and the need for a
great deal of practice in mastering the
lanes. For one to four players, the game
begins with the selection of alley slick-
ness, ball weight and left- or right-
handed play. The hand-controlled key
pad assists in this selection, leading up to
the competition when the side buttons
and disk take over.
Briefly, the bowler onscreen stands at
the base of the lane and the ball comes to
him via a press of the disk. Then it's time
to decide how you want to line up your
bowler, who's controlled by the left-side
buttons. At the right, the top button on
the hand control is for adding loft to the
ball at the point when it's released, while
the lower button is for aiming your shot.
A white cursor at the bottom of the
screen will move once you press the but-
ton. Your challenge is to line up the spot
you think will be best, let go of the
button and hope that you've timed it right
in going after strikes or spares. Another
consideration, however, is the type of ball
you want to throw, whether it's a curve,
back-up or any variation thereof. This is
where the disk comes in, with different
spots along the outer rim resulting in a
very realistic array of options.
The problem, if it is one, with Intelli-
vision Bowling is that you'll need to
practice in order to get used to the timing
and placement of the bowler for a shot at
getting high scores on a consistent basis.
Besides regulation bowling, there's also
the option of just shooting for spares,
which can sharpen your aim. But don't
think you're ready for the professional
tour until you've gotten it down to a
science.
INTELLIVISION
PGA GOLF
Even though I've never played actual
golf and feel viewing it on TV is an ex-
cruciating endeavor akin to watching
paint dry, I found myself hopelessly ad-
dicted to this thoroughly enjoyable
video re-creation.
The nine-hole course is well-repre-
sented, with fairways, yellow bunkers,
dark green trees and blue water hazards.
The controls are simple and functional
(for a change): You select the club on the
key pad, then line up the direction you
wish to send the ball by directing the
aiming bar surrounding it with your con-
trol disk. Side buttons determine the
length of your swing, long to short.
Since the disk controller provides only
16 directions, you can hook and slice by
hitting the side button another time
while you swing. Whether the ball
hooks, slices or goes straight depends
VIDEOGAMES 57
upon when you hit the button.
When negotiating a hole, remember
the irons are more reliable than the
woods, but the woods will send the ball
farther. Always hit the buttons twice, or
the computer will send the ball on an un-
predictable trajectory. Don't send your
ball when driving in the direction of
trees, and take your time lining up the
ball when putting. (This is a slow, relax-
ing game, so don't rush!)
The instruction booklet is loaded with
additional tips, so experiment with the
advice given; in any event you'll find
that as you play this absorbing and col-
orful game, your score will improve. I
especially like the split-image screen,
with golfers in the right corner.
BOXING
INTELLIVISION
BOXING
Intellivision Boxing is a challenging and
complex game that requires a great deal
of skill and a little bit of luck for any
degree of proficiency. It does, however,
boast that most laudable of video game
qualities: difficult to master but easy to
learn. You may get the hang of it but
never the best of it. The choices you
make at the onset of this two-player
game are of paramount importance.
Before the action begins, each player
must choose the kind of boxer he wants.
Six fighters are available: a defensive
fighter, an offensive fighter, a fighter
that has an equal balance of offense and
defense, an endurance fighter and one
whose best qualities are unpredictable.
(After playing a while you'll soon dis-
cover that you'll win most often with the
endurance fighter.) The fight can last 1 5
rounds, but with all the punching that
goes on it rarely does.
This game has exceptional color,
sound and graphics plus a ringside view
of the action. The attention to detail is
terrific: The ring and fighters are color-
ful and well-drawn, and the sound ef-
fects accompanying the action are won-
derfully realistic. I especially like the
dramatic knockdown, where the figure
on the receiving end falls to the canvas as
his opponent raises his hands in victory,
and the sound of chirping signifies the
knockout.
The controls take some getting used
to, because you have to press so many
different buttons and constantly flash
your eyes from the controls to the
screen.
ACTIVISION
BOXING
Activision's Boxing is a good, rousing
game in which you can either play
against another opponent or the com-
puter. Just like real boxing, it requires
speed, strategy and stamina. You
maneuver the boxers in eight directions
with the joystick; punches are thrown by
pressing the red fire button. The com-
puter will always choose the proper hand
for a particular punch, but when you
hold down the button, you can throw
combinations.
However, unlike real boxing, each
round is only two minutes long. With
every long jab you connect with, you're
awarded one point — two points when
you connect from close in. If you score
100 points in one round, you're awarded
a knockout, signalled by a ringing bell
and a KO flashing on the screen. As in
real boxing, try to dish out more than
you take. After a successful shot, back
off and move around until you see an-
other opening; your opponent will auto-
matically back away when hit, so try to
get him against the ropes where his
maneuverability is limited. Then, you
can go in for the kill using combinations
of lefts and rights. When you're on the
defensive try to get your opponent to hit
your gloves, rather than your head:
Split-second movement is the key to suc-
cess. Unlike the Intellivision game, your
vantage point is an overhead view of the
action, but the sound effects are good in
this action-packed game.
HOCKEY
INTELLIVISION
N.H.L. HOCKEY
Real-life hockey is a fast-moving, fast-
paced, aggressive sport. For it to succeed
as a video game, some of these traits
must be captured by its electronic sur-
rogates. Unfortunately, neither Mattel
nor Activision has succeeded in
performing this hat trick in a video
game.
Mattel Intellivision N.H.L. Hockey
has colorful graphics that make quite an
impressive show, including a sharply de-
tailed, multicolored hockey rink. Just as
in the real sport, a team consists of five
men and a goalie, and there are penalties
during play. All of this makes this game
appear at first to be a realistic rendition
of the sport, but it requires more luck
than skill.
To begin, the cartridge displays the
entire rink at once, which can be a strain
on the eyes considering all the details. At
the very least, the game should be played
on a high-resolution, large-screen TV.
Since most of us can't afford sets like
that, the game should have been de-
signed with a scrolling screen, showing
only that part of the field the puck is in.
As far as actual play, scoring is extreme-
ly difficult and frustrating.
Not only is it very hard to maneuver
the player with the puck, it's also tough
to determine where the other players are
heading. Passing is nearly impossible. If
scoring wasn't hard enough considering
these limitations, since the computer
controls the goalie with machine-like
precision and the net is very small com-
pared to the goalie's size, there's very lit-
tle chance you'll ever score big. And
without scoring, there's very little gra-
58 VIDEOGAMES
tification— which is why we play sports
at all.
The sound effects for this game are
marginal. Occasionally, you hear a shot
that does sound like wood on rubber,
but the fan applause at the beginning
isn't heard during play. This game may
appeal to the diehard hockey fan who
doesn't mind viewing the action from
the upper decks.
ACTIVISION
HOCKEY
Activision Hockey is a simplified version
of the game that's short on frills but long
on action. You're in control of a two-
man team of goalie and forward; you
view the action from above and behind
one of the goals. Although there's no
video representation of a rink, the four
players are very well-drawn and color-
ful. Controlling your team is simple: on-
ly one member at a time, depending
upon puck location. When you're on the
attack, your forward is controlled by
your joystick; when you're on the
defense, it manipulates your goalie.
This game can be played alone against
the computer or against another player.
Although the graphics are austere, the
action and sound effects are very au-
thentic: You skate, check, steal and
shoot with appropriate sounds of wood
and metal against ice and the thud of the
puck against the stick. Stick control of
the puck is a skill that takes some prac-
tice, as the puck automatically slides up
and down your stick as you skate. When
you press the red button and shoot, the
puck travels based on stick position.
The cartridge provides four games:
two for playing against the computer,
two for playing against another player.
The differences among them are that
games three and four are high-speed ver-
sions of games one and two.
This game is another well-conceived
offering in Acti vision's highly successful
series of spectator sports translated for
the video-game arena.
BASKET
BALL
INTELLIVISION N.B.A.
BASKETBALL
Intellivision's N.B.A. Basketball is an
ingenious re-creation of the sport with
excellent color, graphics and sound ef-
fects.
Teams are abbreviated to three men
on a side, but the court is well-represent-
ed with colorful lines and large, white
backboards with netted baskets. The
players, themselves, are wonderfully
agile, as they dribble, block and shoot
with amazing grace. This is a two-player
game: You control the man with the ball,
who turns a darker shade while the com-
puter controls his teammates. The game
can be played from one of four speeds;
the authentic-looking court keeps score,
time and even includes a 24-second
clock. The game play (for the most part)
is incredibly realistic: You can dribble,
SCORE BOARD
TIME LEFT IN QU
Ji-SECONO CLOCK
pass, set up screens, block and choose
between taking set or jump shots. The
one criticism I have with this almost-
perfect game is that the colors of the con-
trol players are overly similar, so it's
hard to differentiate between the main
defensive and offensive players. (In-
tellivision should have made the dif-
ference more distinct than having one
player black and the other dark gray.)
It's a good idea to begin play on the
slower levels to familiarize yourself with
the controls, but do try to move up to the
pro-level quickly, since the action is
nonstop and the play very exciting.
An update of this game should consi-
der the three-point shot, for, as in real
basketball, the further you are from the
basket, the less likely you are of making
your shot. A.
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VIDEOGAMES 59
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Eight is Enough:
A Selection of the Summer Games
By Perry Greenberg
From the standpoint of the home
video game player who keeps more
abreast of the games themselves rather
than the financial reports in the papers,
the industry looks as healthy as ever.
Owners of the 2600 and 5200 will find
games galore lining the shelves this sum-
mer, while Intellivision owners will have
still more voice-enhanced efforts com-
ing their way. In addition, ColecoVision
continues to astound its owners with
play and graphics that a few years ago
would have seemed impossible to attain
in a home game.
What all this means is that, despite the
call of summer sports outdoors, game
players can still find plenty of action in-
side. Just pull up a chair and sit yourself
by a tall glass of iced tea, open the win-
dow a crack and get ready to be trans-
ported — to Smurfland, a carrot patch
or the garden where Centipedes breed
aplenty.
Venture (Coleco)
Venture has been converted into two
home versions by Coleco: one for the
company's own system, the other for the
Atari VCS. VIDEO GAMES reported
on the VCS version in February's Soft
Spot, and found it to be one of the best
cartridges around for that system. The
rendition for the more sophisticated
ColecoVision is far superior graphically;
however, not as responsive as the VCS to
the joystick's command.
Winky, the arrow-shooting hero of
the game, has the job of venturing about
a multi-screen playing field where he
must retrieve treasures from monster-
infested chambers. The player must
guide Winky (who appears as a dot here)
along a hallway connecting chambers,
all the while avoiding contact with hall
creatures. Guide Winky through the
doorway of a chamber and a new screen
emerges where Winky appears as a
round, smiling, arrow-shooting being
who must abscond with the chamber
treasures while avoiding or shooting the
different creatures guarding it. There is a
limited amount of time to spend in any
one chamber before an indestructible
hall monster appears and makes a bee-
line to Winky. Even though the game's
graphics are more detailed on the Coleco
version, Winky moves far less respon-
sively here. In fact it's downright
frustrating to make Winky move and
shoot in the direction you want.
Whether this was an intentional move to
make the game more challenging or an
inherent defect in the system, is up for
debate. But, either way, you'll want to
pull the hair out of your head for all the
errant moves and wasted lives due to the
lack of response. Still, Venture is a ter-
rific game with more screens and villains
to contend with than a half-dozen other
games put together. So, with a bit of
practice and a great deal of patience,
Venture should serve you well.
Some tips to get through the early
stages of the game: In the first level, one
of the chambers has movable, electrified
walls protecting the treasure. The space
you must squeeze through, between the
harmless stationary wall and the elec-
trified ones, is much larger on the top
and bottom walls then the sides.
Therefore, approach and exit via the top
and botton walls. When entering the ser-
pent room, always enter through the left
door. If you enter through the door on
the right you'll be right on top of the
snakes and you won't have a chance.
Also, if you're leaving a room and there
is still a living monster to deal with, sta-
tion yourself by an exit and wait until he
comes in range. This way, even if a hall
monster appears, you'll still have time to
exit safely.
Turmoil (20th Century Fox
Video Games)
Turmoil is an elementary shoot-em-
up where eye/hand coordination is
tested by moving a rapid-firing ship up
and down a corridor in the center of the
screen. Flanking the ship's corridor are
rows through which a host of objects zip
by. The object of the game is to rack up
points by shooting anything that moves
while avoiding fatal collisions. A varia-
tion on the theme are tank-like objects
that can be repelled when hit from the
front and destroyed when hit from
behind. In addition, pulsating, donut-
shaped objects frequently appear and
when they do, you can enter that row
and dock with it for a bonus of 800
points. But be quick! If you wait too
long, it turns into a lightning fast projec-
tile that will destroy your ship on con-
tact. If you dally too long after docking,
a slow but indestructible saucer appears
in that row. You must exit the row
before it gets inside, or your ship is
doomed.
There are nine levels of play, each one
VIDEOGAMES 61
tougher than the previous. You can start
off on level one and progress to the
tougher levels or you can program the
game to start at any level with the select
switch. There are no two-player modes.
This game is a relentless test of con-
stant but controlled movement, and
rapid firing. You should dock with the
pulsating object whenever possible and
make a hasty retreat. It's aJso advisable
to keep an eye on slow-moving objects
since they are the ones you'll collide with
most often as they conflict with the tem-
po of this very fast-paced game.
Turmoil has good, colorful graphics
and lively sound effects. The rapid-fire
feature works well and the collage of
moving colors that surround the number
indicating you're proceeding to the next
round is a nice touch. But, all in all, this
game is a monotonous and fatiguing test
of reflexes. It's fast moving, for sure,
but at this stage of the game most players
will expect more from a cart than dodge-
and-shoot and in Turmoil you don't get
much more.
Nexar (Spectravision)
A 3-D variation of the dodge-and-
shoot game made for the VCS, Nexar
utilizes the joystick to control a cursor
(representing your ship) all over the
playing field. From the center of a vortex
come saucers and beacons that attack
you in a 3-D perspective. The player has
five ships and 99 seconds in which to
destroy all the beacons plus as many
enemy ships as he can within that time
frame. The amount of ships you have, as
well as time elapse, and the number of
beacons you must destroy, is shown on
the bottom of the screen. If you fail to
eliminate all the beacons noted at the
bottom, you lose a ship. When you've
exhausted your supply of ships, the
game is over.
No matter where your cursor is on the
screen, your line of rapid fire is
automatically directed to the center.
Therefore, the best course of action is to
62 VIDEOGAMES
line up your cursor so your line of fire in-
tercepts the greater percentage of enemy
objects. It's best to fire from the peri-
meter of the playing field since this will
give you a better chance to dodge enemy
craft and to avoid the deadly debris left
after a successful kill. Go after the
beacons since they're worth more points
and failure to destroy enough of them in
a round means the loss of a ship.
Nexar is an elementary dodge-and-
shoot game, with good colorful 3-D
graphics, employing some interesting
variations (among them a highly mobile
firing cursor, a time element and, as in
all Spectravision games, the ability to
pause the action via the color/bw switch
on the VCS). But, for the most part, the
action is very repetitive. There are three
game selections, but the first and third
seem to be identical. This game would
have benefited enormously with the ad-
dition of a two-player variation. At least
with the added incentive of head-to-
head competition the game would lose
some of its redundency. Nexar, at best,
can pass for momentary diversion from
heavier video game fare. It's an en-
joyable light snack on the ever-
expanding video game menu, but as a
full course meal, it leaves you hungry for
a great deal more.
Smurf Rescue in Gargamel's
Castle (Coleco)
The ubiquitious, oppressively cute
cartoon characters come to the home
video game scene with such remarkable
fidelity to its their Saturday morning
origins you'll be asking yourself, "Is it
Smurf or is it Coleco Vision?" But aside
from the astounding graphics the game
play is pretty good.
Smurf Rescue is a Donkey Kong-
derivitive in which you guide a joystick-
controlled Smurf along a horizontal
scrolling trail that eventually leads to
Gargamel's evil castle, where you reach
the kidnapped Smurfette and effect her
rescue. As in most Coleco games there
are four levels here. The action involves
having your Smurf jump and duck over
fences, hills, spiked grass and
stalagmites. To jump you move the
joystick forward; to duck move it back
towards you. Unlike Donkey Kong you
do not use the red button. The idea of the
game is to time your jumps over sta-
tionary obstacles to accumulate points;
the small obstacles are worth 200 points;
the larger ones, 300. You also encounter
malevolent bats and crows. Making con-
tact with either one of these evil creatures
is fatal. They can be avoided by either
jumping or ducking over them as they
attack. If you 're really quick, move past
them as they zero in. No points are
awarded for successful evasions.
Timing your jumps is the key, and
since the objects are stationary the best
place to jump is at a spot near the hurdle.
For high jumps over 300-point obstacles
jump twice. First jump in place then
jump again. Invariably the second jump
hurls you over the taller objects. Final-
ly, when you arrive at the creepy castle,
spiders will descend from webs on the
wall. Avoid them by waiting until they
touch the ground, then just hurdle over
them. I've yet to lose a Smurf to a spider
using this technique.
Once you've successfully completed
the journey you repeat it and attempt to
increase your score. Completion, which
is accomplished by reaching the cap-
tured Smurfette, is worth an additional
10,000 points. So the game goes until
you run out of Smurfs. I would have
preferred that the game move you to the
next harder level when you've com-
pleted an easy one, but you stay at the
same level until you reprogram the car-
tridge in the next game.
Even if you are not a fan of these blue
munchkins, Smurf Rescue is a challeng-
ing and exciting game with superb
graphics that complement the growing
library of carts for this superb system.
Gopher (U.S. Games)
Gopher is a down-to-earth,
monotonous little game with very cute
cartoon-like graphics. The player con-
trols a farmer who must protect his car-
rot patch from ravenous, spiteful, crafty
and taunting gophers bent on eating the
three-carrot crop. The farmer, armed
with a shovel, must close up the burrows
the gophers dig which provide them with
access to the carrots. The red button
controls the farmer's shovel. Press down
and the farmer pumps the shovel up and
down sealing the burrow. If one of the
larcenous rodents sticks his head up
while the farmer's sealing the burrow
bonk him for extra points. The game can
be prolonged by catching seeds dropped
by a duck that passes overhead from
time to time and planting them in the
spot where a stolen carrot stood and a
new carrot will grow in its place. This
VCS game is very difficult to score high
on because the farmer doesn't move very
fast and he has a great deal of gound to
cover. The gophers are only vulnerable
for a split second when they emerge
from a completed burrow. They're un-
touchable underground or once they
leave the burrow and make a run for a
carrot. It's best to seal every burrow
completely. This will give you more time
and a higher score since the gopher must
start digging it from scratch. Protecting
the carrots has priority over catching
seeds. Don't go for a seed at the risk of
a carrot.
This game is awfully cute and may be
ideal for young children. But for the
serious video game player it's really a sil-
ly game with very little going on except
moving the farmer back and forth until
the gophers ultimately consume the car-
rots. In other words, kids may dig this
game but the older set may not go for
Gopher.
Bomb Squad (Mattel)
No one could ever accuse Intellivision
of making games that are too simplistic
in design and concept. In fact, it can take
a good hour to figure out the cryptic in-
struction book for the latest addition to
its line of talking games. Bomb Squad
isn't for the conventional, inveterate
video game player. This isn't one of
those games you plug in and you're off
and running. This is a thoughtful, in-
genious game for only the most patient
and meticulous of players.
Boris, a terrorist of obvious origins,
has planted a bomb that will soon go off
leveling the city. It's up to you and
Frank, the bomb defuse expert, to
neutralize it before you and the city are
just a fond memory. Frank, the com-
puter voice, who being smart enough to
know how to defuse the thing, also has
the good sense to be a safe distance
away, so it's up to you to follow his in-
structions in this multi-screen game.
You're given a time limit in which to
complete the job, which consists of
replacing components of various circuit
boards with an assortment of video
tools, that reveal portions of a numbered
code. When enough segments of the
code are visible, you have the option of
guessing the number. A correct guess
will foil Boris and the screen depicting
the city will flash on with fireworks
erupting in the sky. A wrong guess, or
failure to do so within the alloted time,
will result in a view of the crumbling city
accompanied by an explosion.
This game may be a great training ex-
ercise for anyone planning to go into this
line of work, but it's downright tedious
and laborious to go through all this work
to defuse an imaginary bomb. Frank's
voice is astonishingly clear and he does
get emotional, lifting your spirits with
congratulatory intonations when you've
successfully replaced a component. This
game deserves high marks for sophis-
tication of play, graphics and sound,
even though you do begin to get annoyed
by the incessant ticking of the bomb and
Boris' goading. But defusing bombs,
imaginary or otherwise, may not be
everyone's idea of a good time.
Space Spartans (Mattel)
A first-person Star Raiders-type
game, Space Spartans has the added
component of being able to talk to the
player. Unlike Odyssey's voice-
enhanced games, where the computer's
speech is merely ornamental, Mattel's
voice enhancement is an integral part of
play.
In this game the action is principally
the same as in other first-person space-
war games. You have to protect your
space stations from alien attack in dif-
ferent parts of the galaxy represented on
a grid map. Once you've decided which
area of the map you'll battle in, you
warp there and begin the conflict. The
difference here is that you no longer
have to read the cryptic notations at the
bottom of your screen, as you do in Star
Raiders, to determine the condition of
your ship. Computer voices that speak
with incredible clarity are at your
disposal reporting the condition of your
ship and warning you of attack on sta-
tions in other parts of the galaxy. You
can effect repairs while doing battle or,
to expedite major mending, warp back
to one of your space stations. Continu-
ing to battle in damaged condition can
result in the loss of your ship and the end
of the game, which is noted by your
computer's voice saying forlornly "The
battle is over."
This game is without a doubt the most
sophisticated space game I've ever
played. My major gripe is that the battle
is very slow. Your ship isn't very
maneuverable and it's difficult and
frustrating to dodge enemy fire. You
can't help but admire the sophistication
VIDEOGAMES 63
of Space Spartans, but, for a rousing
first-person space battle, it's par-sees
behind my favorite of this genre, Star
Voyager by Imagic.
Centipede (Atari)
Atari's Centipede for the 5200 is a
remarkable achievement. The graphics
are superb and all the characters and
game variations that make the arcade
game such a thrill (spiders, scorpions,
poison mushrooms and fleas) are here in
faithful rendering. Since the arcade ver-
SKunr
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sion employs a screen that is taller than it
is wide the game play is impeded on nor-
mal television screens that have the op-
posite configuration. On a 25-inch
screen this distortion is compensated by
the size of the set, but on smaller home
sets the differences become apparent.
Because the action involves a host of an-
tagonists descending from above, the
distances between you and your foes
decrease appreciably. The fleas, for in-
stance, drop like lead balloons and it's
almost impossible to get off two shots to
destroy them. In fact your best defense is
to dodge them. The joystick controllers
which do not spring back to center and
are equipped with an uncomfortable fire
button make it much harder to line up
your targets than with the trackball,
especially when going after spiders.
With spiders the difference 1
distances is very conspicous, since the
score for a spider kill depends on the
distance from your shooter. A 300-point
kill would be about where a 600-point
kill is on the arcade version, a 600-point
kill would be about where a 900-point
kill is on the arcade game, and a
900-point kill on this home version is
quite a feat since the distance between
you and the spider at that point can't be
seen with the naked eye.
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The same strategies that are applied to
the arcade version should be applied
here. Keep your shooter low and in the
center of the screen. Don't chase spiders,
but try to destroy them as they leap up.
Always aim for the head of the Cen-
tipede and try making narrow corridors
of the mushrooms where you can trap
the creature and finish off all the
segments in rapid succession. Also, clear
out the mushrooms on the bottom
because they become lethal impediments
when battling the Centipede in this
critical zone.
These techniques are easier said than
done with the cumbersome joystick, and
your scores on the home version pro-
bably will be a fraction of what they are
on the arcade game. But, take heart. The
Atari trackball is on the way and for the
day when there's a projection TV in
every home, Centipede will soon surpass
the arcade version. In fact, there are
features of the home version that are not
found in the arcade game, such as paus-
ing the action and a choice between
hard, easy and standard play. As in the
arcade Centipede there are one- and
two-player modes to choose from. ▲
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ACTIVISION'S SOFTWARE WAR
August '82— Premiere Itsue!
Interview: Nolan Bushnell; features on Pac-
Man. Activision and home computers; reviews
of Atari VCS, Odyssey* and A.O.E , Dr. Video
discusses video game therapy; Special section;
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October '82
Interview: Tim Skelly; features on Coleco and
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Special section: TV-game Buyer's Guide. . .
December '82
Interviews: Ken Uston and George Plimpton;
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gramming computer games; reviews of Tron.
Atlantis. Pitfall. Caveman, the Arcadia 2001;
Special section: Atari's 10th Anniversary . .
January '83
Interview: Bill Grubb and Dennis Koble; features
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coVision. Vectrex, Donkey Kong Jr.. Q'bert
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February '83
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Computer debuts. .
March '83
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Sampling the Newest Arcade Games
As the months pass, the one thing
that seems apparent is that the
coin-op industry is still in a state of flux
and transition. With no clear-cut win-
ners ruling the roost, although the strong
showings of Pole Position, Q*Bert,
Time Pilot, Millipede and even the
pin/vid Baby Pac-Man have seemingly
proved their popularity and appeal since
their introduction in the late fall, the
prevailing mood continues to indicate
that almost anything goes— and usually
will, if a manufacturer thinks there's a
market for it.
Interestingly, the major develop-
By John Holmstrom
ments, which ordinarily occur during
the course of a year, have begun to
solidify around two conventions that
serve as showcases for new endeavors
and trial efforts. Long the standard of
the industry has been the fall/winter
AMOA (Amusement & Music Oper-
ators Association) extravaganza staged
annually in Chicago. A recent addition
to the scene has been the AOE (Amuse-
ment Operators Expo), which in four
short years has established itself as a
spring time display of coin-op wares,
where the unexpected has become the
expected.
Atari's
<fTTTffl
Drawing games will never replace
shooting games but they might better en-
dure. Aside from home cartridges offer-
ing electronic doodling, Taito's Qix was
the first drawing video, relying on an
etch-a-sketch concept and some in-
teresting game-play concepts. Now
comes Atari's Quantum, which is a little
more ambitious, but not nearly as in-
teresting.
Incorporating the company's now
classic trackball to control an electronic
probe, Quantum features five levels of
difficulty ( 1 , 3, 5, 7 or 9) to choose from.
Once the game begins, players have to
circle a variety of geometric shapes on
the screen worth anywhere from 20 to
400 points without coming into contact
This time around should prove no ex-
ception, and next issue we'll be giving
you a closer look at the highlights and
machines to keep an eye out for in the
coming months. Until then, there re-
mains some interesting games that have
made their appearance in recent weeks
and might be the leaders before summer
runs its course. Together they provide a
mixed bag of designs and themes, while
separately, they offer some clues as to
the possible directions of their given
companies. But it will ultimately be you,
the players, who will decide their fates in
the game rooms and arcades.
with any of them. Extra point values are
awarded if more than one object is
circled at the same time and bonuses are
awarded in a manner similar to
Tempest, which this game most closely
approximates in "feel."
A "nuclear" atmosphere is injected
into the subatomic world since the
shapes include a Nucleus, triangular
Photons. Electrons, self-dividing split-
ters, Positrons, diamond-shaped
Triphons and Pulsars. As the game pro-
gresses, the numbers of nuclei, bonds
and enemies increase, along with the
speed of all the objects in general.
Although it's a true test of trackball
skill. Quantum is not much else. There's
just not enough to hold a casual game-
player's interest unless circling little
shapes is the challenge one is looking for
from video today. The graphics are dull,
and the sound effects are mediocre.
Given the quality of some of Atari's
other games, Quantum will probably get
lost in the crowd— deservedly so.
66 VIDEO GAMES
Owing a debt to Dig Dug and Donkey
Kong, Bagman relies on a player's
greed, cunning and trickery to win.
From Stern, via a license with S.A.
Valadon Automation of France, you
play an escaped convict traveling
through a maze of underground tunnels,
mineshafts and railroad tracks, carrying
bags of gold up to your wheelbarrow
while avoiding two guards. There's a
joystick and action button which enable
you to control the convict and pick up a
gold bag, drop it on a guard's head, use a
pick-axe to dig a hole in the ground or to
knock out a guard, grab a ceiling beam
to avoid detection by the guards or jump
into a coal-car and get a free ride, as well
Photo by Petiy Greenberg
as to move the wheelbarrow. That's a lot
of action, and the number of play op-
tions makes the game a test of skill and
brains, rather than reflexes and
peripheral vision.
There are several variables to
Bagman, with the playing area divided
into three separate screens, so that when
you exit one of them stage left, you'll in-
stantly appear at the adjacent screen
stage right. This must have been a big
laugh for the game's designer, especially
when unsuspecting players leave the sec-
ond screen on the right side, blindly
enter the third screen and fall down a
mineshaft to their death.
Besides always being aware of where
you are in the scheme of things, there's a
bonus timer to contend with . It starts out
at 4,000 points and quickly counts
down. Every time the Bagman deposits a
gold bag into the wheelbarrow, it returns
to 4,000 points, but let it reach and
you're dead. The bags are quite heavy,
so when the Bagman carries one, his
speed is decreased, making it easier for
• . V ..
1 1MI5
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1 fHF
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the guards to catch up (which they do
remarkably well). There's also a bonus
bag locked up in a cave in the second
screen which is twice as heavy as the
others and, therefore, twice as much
trouble to drag to the wheelbarrow, but
it's definitely worth the trouble as long
as the bonus timer is as close to 4,000 as
you can get it.
Stern's Bagman is a maddeningly ad-
dictive game that contains enough
humor and a strange enough premise to
attract an audience. It's also a simple
enough challenge to trick you into play-
ing it one more time, because you're sure
you can "beat" it. There are some pro-
blems, however, beginning with the
joystick that's a little difficult to
maneuver. The game's slow, deliberate
pace can also be frustrating. Finally, the
action button will work only if you're ex-
actly in the right place and, if you leave a
pick-axe below a ceiling beam, beware!
If you push the button to grab the ceiling
beam and avoid an oncoming coal-car,
the stupid Bagman will grab the pick-axe
instead, and get crushed by the car. The
pick will knock out only one guard, then
disappear, so if you're being chased by
both of them at once, forget it (unless
you use the pick-axe while driving in a
coal-car, which will dispatch both of
them to destinations unknown). All in
all, control problems aside, Bagman's a
fun game that's involving and cerebral.
There's even a comic strip on the cabinet
explaining the action in a simple and ef-
fective manner.
VIDEOGAMES 67
Rock Ola's
KlUMIftl
Here's a model from Rock-Ola, long
known for their jukeboxes and an en-
trant into video within the past two
years, you might have missed in the re-
cent flood of sequel games. Nibbler is
simple and so basic it's almost a puzzle
instead of a video game. However, it's
also an interesting variation because of
the minimalist approach to its typical
maze-theme design. Although it looks
like an easy game to play, only the con-
trols are simple. A directional joystick
guides a snake through various mazes.
The snake has to pick up, or nibble, little
pieces of "food" along the way to com-
plete the maze. The real challenge comes
into play as the snake grows longer for
every inch it travels. If the snake runs in-
to itself, it crashes and you start again.
Nibbler adds into play the element of
time and if you complete the maze
before the clock runs down, you're
awarded a bonus. If not, you lose a ?
snake. The slimy reptile is a slippery little f
devil, too. It slides right around coraei
so you have to think ahead. Even when
you know the patterns that will solve the
different mazes, you must think quickly
and execute perfectly in order to keep the
game going.
Nibbler reminds me of the video
games that populated the arcades a few
years ago. It doesn't rely on flashy
graphics, an established video game
superstar or a character from another
medium, just an interesting idea. And if
you're looking for a departure from
more conventional maze games, Nibbler
might just be worth the two bits.
Sega 's
-STAR TR€I<^
With a major promotional campaign
heralding its release, this isn't just a mere
video game, but is being billed as a
"Strategic Operations Simulator." As
Scotty says, in his familiar brogue before
the play begins, "You are the captain of
the Starship Enterprise." There's also
the Star Trek theme which booms out,
and Spock saying, "Welcome aboard,
Captain." Once the sound show is over,
you're plunged into space against the
fierce Klingons. Your job is to defend
Starbases from their attack, and suc-
cessfully pilot the Enterprise through
more and more difficult and hostile sec-
tors of the galaxy.
The screen is divided into three parts
with the upper left-hand portion con-
taining a supplies readout, so at a glance
you can see how many shields, photon
torpedoes and the amount of warp
power you have left. The upper right-
hand board is the main scanner screen
providing a bird's eye view of the Enter-
prise, enemy positions and the location
of the Starbases. Below is the Forward
Targeting Scanner, which shows off a
striking vector graphic of the aliens
you're blowing up or the Starbases
you're docking with from a first person
perspective.
There are five controls which need to
be mastered, including a knob (similar to
the one on Tempest) for directing the
course of the ship, a fire button (which
shoots limited range phasers), a thrust
button for forward motion at slow
speed, a photon button that fires
torpedoes capable of wiping out large
portions of the galaxy and a warp button
that allows forward motion at super-
speed. The photon and warp buttons are
placed at an awkward position which
may take some time to get used to, but
aside from that the game works well. In
fact, it's one of the best vector games in
years, as well as a successful simulation
68 VIDEOGAMES
Before you drop in your first quarter,
the quality of this game will be apparent.
The cabinet is wider than average and
the screen, protected by a thick pane of
glass, is placed at an angle that affords
players a better view of the action.
Meanwhile, if you've ever had to deal
with the glare of overhead lights at your
favorite games rooms, here's a model
where the top of the cabinet has been
built in such a way that you'll never have
to worry about catching all the action on
screen. And if these touches weren't
enough to at least get your attention, the
game play of Xevious will. A very classy
science- fiction shooting game on the
of the powers and perils of piloting the
Enterprise against the Klingon Empire.
The only thing missing is Scotty scream-
ing "I tell ya, captain, she just carina do
it!" and Spock musing "Highly il-
logical" when you do something stupid.
With only one ship to command — if it
gets blown up that's the game— Star
Trek, at first, might seem to be a ripoff,
but it isn't. You're given a number of
shields and photons to begin with
(depending on the generosity of your
local game room operator) and the op-
portunity to pick up more by docking
with a Starbase. When your ship is hit,
you lose a shield instead of a ship. Once
you're out of shields, the Klingons use
up your photons, and finally go to work
on your warp power. Run out of sup-
plies and power and the simulation is
complete.
There are six different enemies, in-
cluding red, purple and white Klingon
ships, blue anti-matter saucers and the
tricky yellow Nomad during special
rounds, which plants dangerous space
mines. Together, each enemy attacks
different functions of the Enterprise in a
dangerous space battle that can take you
through 40 different simulation levels
and a game that looks like it might be
one of the season's big hits.
order of Defender, Galaga, Robotron,
Space Invaders and Asteroids, it breaks
new ground while providing a very
familiar theme and set-up.
Another licensed effort from Namco,
Atari has seemingly struck it right with
this relationship, given the fact that
Xevious follows on the heels of that
runaway success, Pole Position. And
this time around the graphics are just as
strong. Your ship, called a Solvalou,
flies over a very realistic landscape,
shooting flying aliens with a zapper but-
ton and bombing ground enemies with a
blaster button that's enhanced by the
visual addition of target crosshairs a few
inches in front of your ship. There are 14
different sky enemies (with odd names
such as Brag Zakato, Terrazi and Giddo
Spario) and 1 1 different ground targets
(with even stranger names, including
Garu Barra, Domogram rover and Boza
Logram), most of which are capable of
returning fire. The smaller airships seem
to be made out of glass, shattering when
you blow them up and breaking into tiny
crystals. As for the ground targets, they
explode in a fiery inferno when
destroyed, leaving smoldering craters
behind. The Barola are indestructible
resistor shields which rotate toward your
ship and can destroy it on impact. A
sight to behold, everything is drawn in a
very realistic style, with close attention
paid to small details.
The scoring ranges from 30 points for
a Toroid ship to 5,000 points for the An-
dora Genesis— the mother ship, which is
the single most spectacular spaceship
I've ever seen in a video game. The con-
trols are excellent, with the joystick be-
ing very responsive in maneuvering the
Solvalou over most of the screen. The
speed of the game isn't outrageously un-
comfortable and the unlimited zapper
and blaster weaponry allow for a con-
tinuous and steady stream of simultane-
ous rapid fire. When your ship does get
blown up, you start over again at ap-
proximately the same place you left off,
so you can learn from your last mistake.
There are five levels of difficulty the
operator can choose for his machine
which unleash different waves of alien
enemies at strategic parts of the game.
But not to worry: You'll get your
money's worth from playing Atari's
Xevious no matter what the setting is.
VIDEOGAMES 69
Bally/Midway's
pp<iw**n"iwj
At last, a driving game for sadistic
maniacs who enjoy smashing into other
cars! Let's face it, there's a great number
of driving game enthusiasts who get a
secret thrill when their car smashes into
another vehicle. It's the same in real life.
The popularity of The Dukes of Haz-
zard, Demolition Derbies and amuse-
ment park bumper car rides proves that.
They all rely on our desire for some anar-
chy in the most restricted part of our
lives — driving. Driving real cars is fun,
but there are speed limits, stop lights,
police cars and a zillion signs telling us
what to do.
Although it doesn't offer the realistic
driving perspective of Turbo or Pole Po-
sition, Bally/ Midway's Bump'n'Jump
(a licensed follow-up to Burger Time
from Data East) offers the vicarious
thrills of just such a driving fantasy. Not
only can your car push fellow drivers in-
to the side of the road to their doom, it
<&
WOO C30O OOOO
SIR
0200
can also jump over them or any other
trouble spot. Your car follows a road
pattern that's occasionally interrupted
by waterways. You then whip through a
grueling, punishing race, trying to bump
as many cars as possible without getting
clobbered yourself. A joystick controls
the speed and direction of the car, and a
jump button enables your car to jump
over, land on and explode other cars.
For some visual feedback, a "Jump
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70 VIDEOGAMES
O.K." sign flashes in the upper right-
hand corner of the screen when your car
is traveling the 100 m.p.h. it needs to be
racing at in order to jump. A signal
flashes before you approach one of the
waterways warning you to prepare to
jump. The other cars are worth between
200 and 500 points when they're
destroyed and, at the end of a road pat-
tern, you collect an additional bonus for
each car you've smashed up.
Although the concept of Bump 'n'
Jump is interesting, the game itself isn't.
Even with an 8-way joystick, the bump-
ing action is hard to control, and the
"Jump O.K." sign is difficult to see
while you're driving. As for the road-
ways with its array of rocks, oil spills,
rivers, lakes, barriers and other cars, it's
not all that interesting— although there
is a nice, if not impossible, touch added
to Bump'n'Jump, whereby if you can
get through the course while avoiding
contact with all the other cars, there's a
50,000 point bonus. But even with the
incentive, it just doesn't compare with
plowing into the other cars.
Arcade Watch
As the industry braces for a conven-
tion which will provide more tangible
evidence of design directions most of the
current news surrounds the upcoming
introduction of video disc games with at
least four manufacturers ready to com-
mit themselves to production before the
last rays of summer sun fade from view.
Also on the horizon is a continued em-
phasis on expanding the current range of
"standard" video game graphics and
play action, while attention is also being
paid to other concepts updating older ar-
cade attractions such as rifle games and
other novelty equipment, including a
renewed effort to establish pinball
machines and derivatives for today's ar-
cade player.
As for some of the newest models just
hitting the streets, which VG will be
covering in greater depth by next issue,
come Mad Planets from Gottlieb,
Wacko! from Bally, Sinistar from
Williams, Munch Mobile by Centuri.
Atari's Food Fight and many, many
more ensured to bring hot fun in the
summertime. A
m&m. PflQFESSIQNflL
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VIDEOGAMES 7
Q* bert Makes the Jump Over to Pinball
By Zelmo
Long recognized for its accomplish-
ments in pinball design and
development, Gottlieb has enjoyed
substantial success of late with Q*bert,
an outstanding video game. But this
hasn't diminished the company's belief
in the viability of pinball machines. In
fact, recent efforts have been marked by
some unique playfield and flipper con-
figurations. There was Rocky, with its
one-two punch, double-flipper action;
and the outlane flipper, multi-level
playfield Spirit that hit the arcades over
the past year. Add to these Punk and
Striker, featuring some innovative,
multi-ball play and unconventional flip-
per action, and it's apparent Gottlieb is
more than willing to continue its search
for flipper-game designs that will appeal
to today's players. Q*bert's Quest is no
exception to this rule. This game reprises
the cast of zany video characters in a
game with a figure-eight playfield layout
and a novel setup of lower flippers.
Borrowing heavily on the theme of the
original video game, this variation
centers around lighting up that familiar
pyramid; only now, players must hit
cube targets (two sets of two) or go down
a lit pyramid roll-over lane. When this is
accomplished, a 20,000 point out-hole
bonus is added, which can build up to
100,000 points with the completion of
five pyramids. At this stage there's also
the opportunity to earn a special when
the sixth pyramid is finished off.
However, it's not as if obstacles aren't
in your way, since Q*bert's Quest also
features a trio of villains (Ugg, Wrong
Way and Coily) who advance, one at a
time, in seven steps to steal cubes from
the pyramid. Hitting the target in front
of them, or one of six stationary targets
in the center of the playfield, will push
these adversaries back one step. In order
to gain an extra ball, all three have to be
stopped, which occurs by either hitting
their target as the first step in advancing,
72 VIDEOGAMES
or by completing a long loop shot from
the bottom flippers.
Play begins with the ball entering an
enclosed area on the upper right side of
the game which contains a free-standing
roll-over lane that can result in lighting
the entire pyramid if it's made off the
plunger. Below are two more roll-over
lanes which, when lit, will light one
block in the pyramid that's at the center
of the playfield. After traveling this far,
the ball will then roll down to a kicker
where it is thrust out into the main part
of the board. From this point it's just a
matter of timing shots and getting into
the rhythm of play.
Q*bert's Quest offers a number of
key areas, accessible from either flipper,
with a nice, long shot right up the middle
to the very top of the board and a target
which, when hit, will stop a villain in his
tracks. On either side are medium-range
targets with the left featuring a captive
ball and a continuation sequence via a
kicker that shoots out the ball over to the
right side. The right incorporates a
kicker that serves as the entry of the ball
when it is initially put into play. The
satisfaction for wizard and novice alike
is that these areas can be reached from
left to right or right to left as well as
wonderful reverses from either flipper.
Where the play really gets interesting
is at the bottom of the field with the ad-
dition of two extra flippers, facing
downward and at opposite angles than is
normally the case. These are for the
yellow loop lane shots mentioned
earlier, where an accurate hit can mean
sending the ball on a journey that alm< »si
traverses the entire board. There's
of skill involved with mastering the
trol of the four flippers at any given t imc
and the fact that a ball in the area might
roll to the top set of the bottom pair
depending upon a well-placed nudge
and the velocity of the ball.
Although Q* bert's Quest might seem
a bit confusing at first glance, with the
cross-over flippers and need to press the
appropriate side buttons, much of the
action is truly controlled by the game
itself, with the side kickers doing most of
the work. Even with the balance of
features from the top on down, there's
the potential problem of never feeling in
tempo with the play — waiting for the
ball to get down to the flippers, only to
then quickly shoot it back up. All in ill
it's not the best of games but it's far from
the worst. The company's obvious in
tent is to try and capitalize on the
popularity and recognizability of the
video game. Well, that's where the
similarity ends as Q* bert's Quest leaves
one only mildly satisfied and wanting
still more from a pinball machine. A
Editor's Note:
This new member of the VIDEO G AMI S
family has been involved with the com op
industry for more than 20 years and is ttW
very active. Because we wanted to ensvn
that what this individual writes would be 01
hard-hitting and honest as possible (no mai-
ler which manufacturer might be respond
ble) VG is providing total freedom am
anonymity so as not to jeopardize this i - to
tributor's sensitive position in the industry.
Because of this, we have agreed to use the
pseudonym "Zelmo. "
ffotdrerts
American yiaeo
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VIDEOGAMES 73
Hosting a Home Video Game Tournament
What can you do when it's raining
buckets outside and there's
nothing good on television? Simple.
Have a home game tournament. No
matter what system you own, you can
have loads of fun and make money at the
same time. Here's how:
Step one is to buy some prizes. It
won't be hard to find small items related
to video games such as "how-to-play"
paperbacks, Pac-Man pencils, note-
books, score pads, candy bars, etc.
Step two is to choose a game for your
tournament. If you find one that is simi-
lar to an arcade game, later on the top
winners can compete on a full-size game
at a local arcade. It doesn't have to be the
exact game. For example, you could
substitute Apollo's Shark Attack for
Atari's Pac-Man; Intellivision's Space
Armada or Imagic's Demon Attack for
Space Invaders. You might want to try
out some of the latest home games such
as Ms. Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, Jr.
Step three is to decide on refreshments
— cookies, candy, popcorn, punch are
fine. Hint: Beg your mom to make Pac-
Man sugar cookies or do it yourself.
They're simple to make. To keep things
running smoothly on tournament day,
it's a good idea to bake them the day
before.
Here's the recipe my mom likes best.
It's from Wilton, the company that
makes cake decorating products.
Vanilla Sugar Cookies
Vi cup butter or margarine
Vi cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 •' .i cups flour
Preheat oven to 400°
In a large bowl, blend butter and sugar with an
electric mixer. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add bak-
ing powder and flour one cup at a time, mixing
after each addition. The dough will be very stiff.
It may be necessary to blend the last cup of flour
by hand. DO NOT CHILL DOUGH.
Baking Instructions: Divide dough into two
balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball into a
circle approximately 12" in diameter. Dough
74 VIDEOGAMES
By Rawson L. Stovall
should be 1/8" thick. Dip cookie cutters in flour
before each use. Pick up dough from around cut
cookies. Place cookies onto ungreased cookie
sheet with a spatula dipped in flour.
Bake on top rack of oven for 6-7 minutes until
cookies are light brown. Remove cookies from
sheet immediately after taking from oven. Makes
approximately 20 cookies.
My mom dips the cookie cutters in
powdered sugar and she rolls the dough
out on a powdered sugar surface. She
also uses her shiniest cookie sheets which
helps the cookies bake evenly.
If you want to color the cookies
yellow for Pac-Man, put food dye in the
cookie mixture while it is still creamy. Or
you can frost the cookies after they're
baked with icing. Use a round cookie
cutter to make circle shapes out of the
rolled-out dough. Then cut slices (like
you would see in a pie or pizza) out of
each circle.
Put them in the oven and after they're
done make an eye out of a raisin, or add
lashes and a bow made of icing for Ms.
Pac, and— yum, yum! Come to think of
it, you had best make up two batches so
that you'll have some left for your
tournament.
If you're playing a Frogger tourna
ment, you might want to use a frog-
shaped cookie cutter; or use stars for a
space game, decorate gingerbread
for Berzerk— let your imagination run
wild!
Step four is to make a list of exrx
such as the cost for the prizes, refresh
ments, game rental (if you rent the cai
tridge) and last— but not least— \
time. Charge the kids an admission fee,
enough to cover your expenses and to
make some money for yourself. For a
ample, say your expenses add up to
$7.50 and you invite seven kids. Make
the admission fee $1.50 and, after i
ing your expenses, you make $3.<*i
Goodbye lemonade stand!
Step five is to invite the kids. Be sure
to tell them to bring the admission lee!
Step six is to make a sign listing all I he
rules and post it. You don't want yom
tournament turning into a riot! How-
ever, you can add a touch of humor to
your sign. Mine read:
NO
1 . Food, drinks or gum in play area
(the living room)
2. Coaching
3. Misbehaving
4. Profanity
OR
Talking during tournament.
Violators will be . . . beaten, shot, stabbed
and trambled on . . . survivors will be sent
home!
Step seven is greeting the kids, ex-
plaining the rules and giving each one a
five-minute practice time. You don't
have to wait for everyone to get there to
start the practice session. The most im-
portant thing is that everyone has the
same amount of time. Set a timer to
make it fair. The practice session for
eight kids will take about an hour.
Step eight is the intermission/refresh-
ment break. Everyone flexes his or her
muscles, relaxes, eats, drinks and other-
wise prepares for the real thing. During
this time have each kid draw a number to
determine the order of play in the tour-
nament.
Step nine is the tournament play dur-
ing which everyone takes a turn on the
game. Be sure to record scores. If kids tie
on a score, have them play a second
game. The tournament play should last
about an hour.
Step 10 is to award the prizes. To
make it simple, the kid who comes in
first picks first and so on down the line. I
usually have two top prizes and then dif-
ferent types of candy bars for the other
prizes. At my last tournament everyone
won something.
Step 11 is to send everyone home as
quickly as you can before your mom
loses her cool and to clean up any
messes. You want your mom to be in a
good mood so that she'll let you have
another tournament sometime soon.
Now, what can you do when the
weather's miserable and there's nothing
good on television? Right. Have a home
video game tournament. But you say
you don't have a game system? Then, on
this day make a list of all the things you
can do to earn money to buy one— rake
leaves, gather and sell pecans (that's
what I did), baby-sit, collect aluminum
cans, etc.
Let me know how your tournament
turns out. Write The Video Beat,
Abilene Reporter-News, P.O. Box 30,
Abilene, TX 79604. A
The New Contender
By David Leibowitz
Before there were video games, there
were electronic games. While many,
if not most, were primitive by today's
standards, nevertheless they represented
a radical change in game play. One of the
acknowledged leaders in the field was
Milton Bradley, creator of Simon,
Electronic Battleship and Dark Tower.
The company, whose reputation at the
time was that of a stodgy manufacturer
of board games and puzzles, had been
largely overlooked by Wall Street. But,
as sales and earnings started expanding,
in a three-year period Bradley shares
soared 350 percent, peaking at 50 Vi in
1980 as sales rose 120 percent and earn-
ings advanced 130 percent. One other
measure of the stock's popularity was
that institutional investors purchased
more than half the shares outstanding.
Yet, this very success was in large
measure responsible for the company's
equally fast fall from grace. The Pong
games had laid the foundation for the
first home game systems, such as Odys-
sey and the Atari 2600, and Bradley was
not keeping pace. Not that it lacked the
technology (a picture in its 1979 Annual
Report shows a company employee at a
television console playing a game); ra-
ther, management chose to stay with
self-contained units at a time when the
consumer was showing a clear pref-
erence for programmable video games.
The result was to be expected. Sales and
earnings declined and Milton Bradley's
stock price dropped precipitously,
touching a low of W/i in early 1982.
But to paraphrase Mark Twain, the
demise of Bradley as reported by Wall
Street was a bit premature. Last sum-
mer the company acquired General
Consumer Electronics (GCE), creator
of the Vectrex video game system. This
was followed by the announcement that
Milton Bradley had reached an agree-
ment with Texas Instruments to provide
an Expander module for the 99/4A
home computer, featuring a 64-key
membrane key pad and speech syn-
thesis/voice recognition capabilities, as
well as 18 "voice command" cartridges
for the 1983 and another dozen games in
each of the next two years. Thus, in less
than six months Bradley was back in the
thick of the battle, and among its most
vocal cheerleaders was Wall Street
which had bid up the price of the com-
pany's shares to a high of 40'/2 . Equally
noteworthy, Bradley was trading at the
highest price/earnings ratio of any of the
video game manufacturers despite the
fact that entering 1983 the company's
total sales in this market had yet to
reach $15 million.
Obviously, this vote of confidence is
predicated on an anticipated superior
earnings performance this year as well as
in 1984. The cornerstone of this growth
is expected to come from the liaison with
Texas Instruments. In addition, as Brad-
ley management pointed out at an
analyst meeting held during last Febru-
ary's Toy Fair, the company has the
freedom to produce Expander units for
other home computer manufacturers,
and to deliver the same titles of third-
party software for other video game
systems. It was also implied that some
arrangement along these lines was
already under consideration, and could
lead to additional announcements be-
fore year's end. At the same time an ex-
pander for the company's own Vectrex
system is a distinct possibility and in-
dustry scuttlebutt has it that a home
computer module for Vectrex could be a
reality within a year.
The question remains: Is all the op-
timism justified? Wall Street hasn't
made management's job easier with
some of the more bullish earning' s pro-
jections currently in print. Estimates of
1983 earnings per share range from
$3.75 to $4.25 versus $2.40 per share in
(Continued on page 77}
VIDEOGAMES 75
This Isn't Kids' Stuff, This Is War!
By Anne Krueger
Life. It is just like in the arcades. You
can keep from losing for a while, but
you can never really win."
Those dreary words of suburban
wisdom come from Zoz (real name
Elmer) — a parent's nightmare of a kid
who'd like nothing better than to play
video games all day long, blowing wave
after wave of argoffs away. When he's
not hanging around the arcades, Zoz is
dealing with his real-life problems (sex,
adults) by inventing imaginary video
games in.his head.
In fact, if Zoz— the hero and narrator
of Stephen Manes'new book. Video War
(Avon, $2.25)— would have dreamed up
a simple video game to describe this
story's plot, it might have gone like this:
Video War. Insert Quarter. Press Player
Number One.
It's you, the normal teenager, against your
suburban town's bureaucratic biggies. Their
goal: to shut down the local arcade. Yours is
to stop them.
The joystick and fire button are all you need
to position yourself at the bottom of the
screen and blast the bad guys heading your
way.
They progress downscreen knocking over
the assorted arcade games in their path.
Your defense against the bureaucrats'
relentless attack is outweighed (after all,
you're jusl a kid ) by their speedy and
powerful onslaught.
Hitting the occasional letters that speed
across the top of the screen to spell VIDEO
will momentarily freeze the bureaucrats,
allowing you to pick them off with greater
ease.
Hit five bureaucrats and the action again
freezes, alloting you five seconds to run up
and fix as many game machines as you can.
But life is rough. When the bureaucrats
knock over all 40 machines, you're sunk:
you lose.
Game Over Player One.
76 VIDEOGAMES
Stephen Manes' book adds a new fac-
tor to the age-old tensions between
adolescents and adults. Its conflict could
be lifted from numerous newspaper
headlines seen across the country:
"Public Opinion Turns Against Video
Games" or "City Council Votes to
Close Arcades."
The author has Zoz telling the story in
a first-person, stream-of-consciousness
narration that contains some convincing
dialogue along with a prolific use of
four-letter words. Obviously Manes is
trying to be hip for the under-20 crowd,
but most readers are sophisticated
enough to relate to the protagonists'
dilemma without the surplus of ex-
pletives.
In the first screen (no chapters here),
Zoz has suffered a major humiliation:
His mother drags him out of Amies,
Bunker Hills Bluffs' local arcade,in front
of his peers and publicly forbids him to
continue his favorite recreation. To add
insult to injury, she and her current
boyfriend, the town councilman, band
together to force the closing of
everyone's favorite hangout.
Zoz at first deals with this dilemma in
his usual fashion, skulking off to his
bedroom and blowing off steam by in-
venting a game called Big Mama. The
object is to use your joystick to shake t he
300-pound mama off your back. (Most
adults are thought of in this un-
complimentary manner).
But Zoz and his fellow players decide
it's going to take more than daydream-
ing to shake mama and the town council]
They declare war and form" Valley In-
dividuals Defending Entertainment Op-
tions" (VIDEO, to you). How these kids
fight an organized battle to win public
acceptance of arcade games really Is the
meat of the book. Manes manages to
make the kids' efforts — Zoz designs a
VIDEO T-shirt, petitions ue
distributed, parades and arcade pla\ ifl |
are planned — seem believable and
refreshing. He paints such a depressing
picture of suburbia, it's easy to under-
stand why these kids (who don't seem to
drink or take drugs) attack the arcade
issue with such fervent "My God,
they're taking away our freedom"
stance. Arcade games are the only things
that make life in Bunker Hills Bluffs
bearable to these teenagers.
As for Zoz, playing video games is t he-
only time he really seems to get a grip on
things and feel in control. His home life
could accurately be described as
miserable; he has a lousy job making
weird concoctions out of potato skins at
Spudville, and he doesn't have a steady
girlfriend. Manes is in his element here:
He seems to have his finger on the pulse
of everyday high school life as he
delineates each detail of adolescent
minutia.
But Manes loses his touch when it
comes to Zoz's boy/girl relationships.
One encounter that culminates in a sex
scene with Jenny, the pretty and brash
organizer of VIDEO, seems especially
senseless to the scheme of things. Kids
may have one-night stands but this one
seems particularly ungratifying to Zoz
and to the book's story lines.
In a more diverting sideline to the
main plot, Manes has Zoz developing a
slow but steady relationship with
Rowena, a less-glamorous VIDEO
member. At first Zoz calls Rowena "a
loner, spelled 1-o-s-e-r," mainly based
on the fact that she's quiet and wears
baggy clothes (Zoz is at that age where
he'd like all females to be required to be
naked). During Zoz's scalding descrip-
tion of Rowena, he off-handedly says,
"Did I mention she's black?" indicating
that's not why he's not interested— it's
just everything else about her that seems
to turn him off.
But Zoz starts spending more time
with Rowena when he discovers she's a
computer whiz and has loads of expen-
sive equipment. It's Rowena who shows
Zoz how to program games and gives
him the idea of possibly using his artistic
talents in that area.
As Zoz gets to know Rowena, he all-
too-quickly sheds his macho chauvinism
and the reader is supposed to believe his
episode with Jenny may account for his
sudden realization that there's more to
life than instant gratification.
Still, it's hard to swallow the
stereotype of Rowena as the poor little
girl whose parents buy her expensive
computers because they're too busy for
her. It's a little like Manes thought a
book revolving around a video games
conflict needed colorful subplots to keep
it going.
But Video War doesn't glorify these
kids or offer a too-rosy conclusion. The
VIDEO group discovers everything
good they can do can be undone by
someone else. And when the city council
decides to keep the arcades open, they
realize it has little to do with the kids' ef-
forts and a lot to do with sleazy politics.
Such is life, Zoz would say. But to top
that, Arnie — the owner of the town's ar-
cade and VIDEO'S only adult pal in the
book — turns around and hikes the game
prices to fifty cents, reinforcing Zoz's
feelings that most adults are pretty
stinko.
So maybe Zoz is right when he says
life in Bunker Hills Bluffs, and
everywhere else for that matter, is like
being in the arcade: you can never really
win. But you've got to keep fighting
those argoffs while you can. a
Bull's Eye ~
(continued from page 75)
1982, and looking out to 1984 the figure
jumps to the $5.00 range and even
higher. Given the company's recent
stock price of $38 per share those
estimates do not leave much margin for
error. Given the present situations at
Warner Communications and Mattel,
lower-than-anticipated earnings could
have a devastating effect on stock prices.
Milton Bradley has already taken the
ride on that merry-go-round. This time
it's looking to grab the gold ring. A
tdc *of*i*illC* NATIONWIDE 1-800-255-2000
P.O. Box 3456, Troy, Ml 48084 MICHIGAN & CANADA 1-313-524-1030
WE DEAL! WE DELIVER! CALL US NOW!
A
ATARI
V
5200 $199.00
Pac-Man . $32.00
Missle Command 28.75
Space Invaders 28 75
Gaiaxian
Soccer
Star Raiders
$32 00
28 75
28 75
Donkey Kong Jr
Zaxxon
Las Vegas
Space Fury
Carnival
Horse Racing
Turbo
Coleco Fot Mattel
$30 50
49 75
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69.00
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Smurt Action
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$26 75 •
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Datasette C2N
Disk Drive 1541
8K Expansion
$ 69 00
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B AcWisioN 3
Pitfall $24 25
Megamama 24 25
Chopper Command 24 25
Barnstorming 24 25
Slampede 1 8 00
Freeway 18 00
Tennis 1 8 00
Skiing 18 00
w\Hdtee
Goiter Attack
Word Zapper
Sneak N Peak
Space Jockey
Maze Chase
$22 90
22 90
22 90
18 50
22 90
r
micpc fun-
$49 95
Miner 2049er
For Coleco
TiGEf wmon;
Miner 2049er
For Alan VCS $22 50
- FWRKER BROTHERS
Frogger
Jedi Arena
Star Wars
$27 60
27 60
26 60
0*AG*C)
Deman Attack
Cosmic Arc
Riddle ot Sphirm
Atlantis
$23 00
2300
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24 75
VISA & MASTERCARD
ACCEPTED
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Pac-Man
Adveniure
Missle Command
Advenlure 1
Adventure 2
Star Raiders
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$28 50
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24 25
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28.50
CALL
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China Syndrome
Tape Worm
Cross Fire
Planet Patrol
Gangster Alley
All Others
$21 10
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21 10
19 90
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& Dragons
$31 00
Space Soarions
34 75
Tron Deadly Disc
26 00
N F L Football
26 00
Pmball
21 75
Tron Maze-A-Tron
28 75
Detender
28 50
■*5
Wico Red Ball *
Joy Stick $24 80
Wico Joy Shck 22 50
Wico Track Ball
Alan Commander 52 00
Wico 12
f xlension Cord
6 50
Spectravision
toiA
k Shor^^
Spectravision Quick
Joy Stick $25 00 pair
SfT/AJ^VATW
Supercharger
Communist Mutants
Suicide Mission
Fireball
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$45 00
14 95
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Stick Stand $ 6 99
2 For . 12 00
Alan Joy Stick 6 20
Many More Accessories CALL
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commodore
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$499 95
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(For Alan 400-800)
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(For Vic 20)
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$36 00
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ORDERING
INFORMATION
Check. Money Order Master-
Card Visa and C D orders
accepted All orders shipped
UPS Michigan residents add
4% sales la* Hours 8 a m to
7 p.tn Monday through Friday
9am to 2 p m Saturday All
prices subiect lo change withoul
notice -while Supplies Last.
VIDEOGAMES 77
®§>(2^
L_D C_J
Take your marble to
the top. Pick your spot
and let it drop. Hope
for a flip instead of a
flop. Once you get it.
the fun never stops!
It's FLIP OUT — a
crazy new strategy
game for one or two
players. Each marble
you drop causes a
chain reaction, so take
your time and plan
carefully. Plan right
and you'll flip, if you
didn't you Flip Out!
It is up
to you to stop the
invasion of the evil
Quarriors and save
Repton. You are armed
with devastating
Nuke Bombs, a Radar
Screen, a Laser Gun
and an Energy Shield
You'll need them all!
You'll be attacked by
Nova Cruisers and
Single Saucers. You
must avoid Spye
Satellites and deadly
Dyne-Beam Shooters
and you must stop the
Draynes from deplet-
ing the Reptonian
power supply. Repton
is a battle so thrilling
you'll be relieved to
find out you're still on
earth when it's over!
Turn your keyboard
into a typing arcade'
You can blast attack
ing letters and words
right out of the sky
Type Attack was
designed by a profes-
sional educator and
the fast action game
experts at Sirius. It
features 39 pre-
programmed lessons
and 60 user defined
lessons. Great sound,
graphics and a real-
time words per minute
bar make improving
your typing skills fun!
Talk about adventure
on the high seas!
You're blasting away
at a squadron of
enemy bombers and
Kamikaze fighters from
the deck of your P.T.
boat. Suddenly you
notice the sea is
loaded with mines and
an Exocet missile is
screaming toward you
on the horizon. Instinc-
tively you jerk the joy-
stick to the starboard,
keeping your thumb on
the fire button. Phew!
That was close! Some-
times it's hard to
believe Wavy Navy's
just a video game.
New Games For Your Apple II From Sirius
TM
Type Attack. Wavy Navy, Flip Out and Repton packages, programs, and audio visuals © 1982 Sirius. Type Attack. Wavy Navy. Flip Out. Repton and
Sirius are trademarks ol Sirius Software. Inc. Apple is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.
For more information contact your local Sirius dealer or distributor or contact us at 10364 Rockingham Drive,
Sacramento, CA 95827, (916) 366-1195.
THE fyiMlID LEGIOn
Chapter Six:
Words: Lou Stathis Visuals: Matt Howarth
Instead of creating new levels for f
you to play, the machine has been
sending you into real battles
across the Universe.
162
In recognition of
your unselfish
service, please
accept this most
invaluable lunch-
bag of power ...
The thing's totally
useless in a fight,
' but it's one helluva
cure for entropy!
7
I should be able to use
these powers to find
my kid brother!
This I gotta
see! Mind if
I swim along?
NEXT: Out of the frying pan ...
VIDEOGAMES 79
THERE COMES A TIME vJHEN
|A MAN MUST FACE UNKNOWN)
CHALLENGES,.,
WHEN) A MAN MUST TAKE
ON ALL OBSTACLE^.--
. , AND THAT MAM IS . . .
INDIANAPOLIS BONES!
THAT'S IT ; I DID IT? 184 BILLION
NOW I CAN PUT MY INITIALS I N
THE MACHINE ... a
Wot so I.
PAST. BONES.'
YOU'VE DOME YOUR JOB WELL! BUT ALLOW f"l£ TO CLAIM
ZEE CREOIT BY PLACING MY INITIALS IN ZEE MACHINE
WELL, WELL IRENE RELIC ! MY FRENCH
SPEAKING FOE .'HOW CAM YOU DO SUCH
DIABOLICAL THINGS?
EASY.' BEFORE I BECAME A
FULL-TIME VILLAN I WAS
ZEE WARDEN AT DEVIL'S
ISLAND
80 VIDEOGAMES
ONCE THEYSfARr
Teaching it inj
school all thc
HEY KiO, YA WANNA COME"
OVER TO MY HOUSE APltPSCHOOL?|
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VIDEOGAMES 81
The Top 1
Home Games
Weeks
Mar. 19
Mar. 5
on Chart
1
7
4
Ms. Pac-Man (Atari)
2
1
26
Pitfall (Activision)
3
2
9
River Raid (Activision)
4
4
9
Vanguard (Atari)
5
3
28
Frogger (Parker Brothers)
6
5
28
Donkey Kong (Coleco)
7
11
4
Phoenix (Atari)
8
8
28
Pac-Man (Atari)
9
10
5
Spider Fighter (Activision)
10
6
7
Dragon Fire (Imagic)
© 1983 by Billboard Publications, Inc. Reprinted by permission.
These are the best-selling home video games compiled from
outlets by the Billboard research department.
The Top 1 4
Arcade Games
March 15, 1983
"1. Pole Position (Atari)
*2. Front Line (Taito)
*3. Popeye (Nintendo)
*4. Time Pilot (Centuri)
5. Super Pac-Man (Bally/Midway)
•6. Baby Pac-Man (Bally/Midway)
7. Q'bert (Gottlieb)
8. Joust (Williams)
9. Pac-Man Plus (Bally/Midway)
10. Ms. Pac-Man (Bally/Midway)
•11. Moon Patrol (Williams)
*12. Millipede (Atari)
13. Jungle Hunt (Taito)
14. Galaga (Bally/Midway)
<g 1983 by Play Meter Magazine
These are the top earning arcade games according to a poll of
operators. Those with asterisks indicate operator responses
were between 25-50 percent.
High Scorers
Baby Pac-Man
2.282.610
Charles Kirby
Decatur, Ala.
Bagman
87.800
Steve Bernhardt
Kenosha, Wis.
Buck Rogers
313.330
Bruce Borsato
Trail, B.C.. Can.
Burgertlme
4.163,250
Chuck Coss
Stubenville. Ohio
Centipede
15.207.353
Darren Olson
Calgary. Alberta. Can.
Defender
75.865,375
Joe Carson
Cheektowaga. N.Y.
Dig Dug
4.129.600
Ken Arthur
Blackburg, Va.
Donkey Kong Jr.
951.000
Matt Brass
Bozemar. Mont.
Frenzy
4.789.909
Mike Mann
Oak Park Heights. Mn.
Front Line
187,000
Jeff Peters
Rancho Cucamonga. Calif.
Gorf
2,220.000
Jason Smith
Midland. Tx.
Gravitar
4.722,200
Raymond Mueller
Boulder, Colo.
Joust (new Chip)
33.167,250
Bob Weiss
San Jose. Calif.
Jungle Hunt
983.430
Dan Cook
Woodbridge, Va.
Liberator
1.449.350
Sean Middleton
Anchorage. Alaska
Lost Tomb
1.072.980
Mark Rasmussen
Ft. Dodge, la.
Millipede
1.506.684
Eric Ginner
Milpitas. Calif.
Monster Bash
Moon Patrol
Mr. Do
Ms. Pac-Man
Pac-Man Plus
Pengo (4 men)
Pole Position
Popeye
Q'bert
Quantum
Rescue
Robotron
Satan's Hollow
Star Trek
Super Pac-Man
Time Pilot
Xevious
445,800 George Rassmussen
Kenosha. Wis.
577,480 Eric Ginner
Mountain View. Calif.
1.365,450 Scott Hunter
Arlington, Tx.
388,190 Michael Buck
Ottumwa, la.
215.220 Kevin Pollock
Upland, Calif.
809,990 Kevin Leisner
Racine, Wis.
65,460 MikeKlug
San Jose, Calif.
219,850 Steve Harris
Bladstone. Mo.
14.324,565 Rick Carger
Salisbury, Md
1.029.160 JuddBoone
Moscow, Idaho
419,555 Roddy Rodolfo
Ft. Worth, Tx.
252.115.350 Eddie O'Neil
Durham, N.C.
8,692.035 Michael Ward
Madison. Wis.
974,475 Robert Purser
Norcross. Ga.
456.190 Kevin Fischer
Dunkirk. Mo.
1.892,000 John Roberts
Plattsburgh. N.Y.
230,790 David Knight
Upland. Calif.
Our thanks to Waiter Day. Jr o' Twin Galaxies
a seit addressed stamped envelope to Walter
iniernationaiScoreboarri(226EastMainSt Ottumwa. ia 52556I Readers who thmk they may have a high score should send
Day wno win then forward the necessary information and forms.
82 VIDEOGAMES
m
The people of Earth are
counting on you!
It's the fight of your life! You're not
just in an arcade anymore. You're
alone in a SOLVALOU super space-
fighter. It's that real! You're flying
an incredible search-and-destroy
mission to save the world from in-
vading Xevious aggressors.
You are Earth's last hope. They're
counting on your skill to wipe out
waves of attacking enemy aircraft and
endless streams of hostile land bases
BACULA resistor shields, ZOSHI Death
squads, GROBDA tanks, the ANDOR
GENESIS mother ship. .
blast you out of the sky.
Are you hot enough? You'll have
to be sharp. Because as you get
better the Xevious forces get more
devious! More dangerous!
ATARI XEVIOUS is the latest
coin game rage. It's max
challenge that keeps coming.
Only you can determine the
outcome of Earth's great-
est struggle for survival.
Xevious! The new generation. ATA \J I
*Xevious is engineered and designed by Namco Ltd. Manufactured under license by Atari. Inc Trademark and © Namco 1982. 0* w " n * Commur " aUion8Comwn »
AN EXCITING NEW FRONTIER
IN VIDEO GAMES
c 19B3 Artists & Friends. Niyhin
ASK FOR IT AT YOUR LOCAL ARCADE
Fur a 22" x 28" Full Color Journey Performance Poster.
Send $3.00 Rj
Journey
Dept "P"
PO Box 404
San Francisco. CA 94101
Includes Postagi '■>■ ig Vnui When; Prohibited By Law
FROM
Ma MIDWAY
9 i- inao dai i v MimiA/Av \ncn m
c 1983 BALLY MIDWAY MFG CO
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